My Little Pony: A Different World
by TheBlackVoid
Summary: A young boy named Brandon has been placed in an environment that is eerily familiar...with even weirder changes. With his mind in pieces Brandon must learn to trust in more than just himself in a world void of all the things he once knew. Faced with his inner demons he will make his journey to find answers about himself and the new world he is in. Trusting others could save him...
1. Chapter 1: The Cave

**-Attention! I just want to make this clear this is my FIRST story I've ever tried to work on and post in a place like this. I apologize for any errors that there might within the document such as the names of characters, misspelled words, or anything like the sort. I'm not very imaginative and, since that's what it takes to be a great writer as well as literary expertise, I'm hoping to change that. Please feel free to comment, review, or get critical on me about this. It would be appreciated. Oh and if you see this '****' anywhere in the document it means I'm switching from a scene with one character to another. Sorry if it bothers you and I hope you enjoy it  
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**Sincerely,  
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**BV-**

**Chapter 1- The Cave**

Darkness. It was a cold, damp, and dark place. No light was present to give him a better look at his surroundings. The stranger passed a hand in front of his face and only felt the flow of air it created. Feeling the floor he laid on revealed to him a few details. The texture was rough, damp and hard beneath his fingertips. At least he knew that he was lying on a stone floor; likely in a cave. The steady drip of water echoed in his ears before he confirmed his environment.

Now for the time.

He had barely thought of checking his wristwatch before noticing the absent weight that came with the watch. The young man dimly remembered taking off his watch…but what had happened after that? He pushed his torso from the floor with his elbows. Sitting up too quickly proved to be a bad move; it felt as if a sharp knife had begun stabbing repeatedly into his head as soon as it became vertical with the floor. A sharp intake of breath through gritted teeth ensued from his mouth as the painful hammering in his head continued.

It was impossible to tell how much time had passed before the pain resided while the young man gently cradled his head. He had slowed his breathing down drastically when the episode began and gradually had taken deeper breaths as the white lights of pain had clouded his blackened vision. Using his fingers he searched for the wall of the cave, after the pain had at last let go of him, before he attempted to stand.

Standing up gave his body something to do while his mind went to work on figuring a way out. Since his sight was useless, as well as his sense of smell, relying on his touch and hearing was the only plan he could use at the moment. It was blind luck that his fingers met the slightly smoothed surface of the cave wall before acting upon his instinct to travel along it. Keeping his hand sliding along the wall helped him to keep his footing. Though the floor of the cave was a bit rough it still had indentations where the water had worn away the stone the most. He stopped after feeling an absence of stone in the wall with his hand reaching emptiness.

Was it a hole?

Placing his head around what he supposed was the hole, while keeping his right hand flat against the wall so he wouldn't lose it, he felt something. It was faint but it was a draft. If he hadn't been looking for the draft he would have easily missed it and would probably have spent even _longer _in this place. There was no way to tell time and time was not something the young man could waste. If, wherever he was, the outside was dark it would make things a bit more difficult. Traveling in the dark cave was dangerous but traveling in the dark in an unknown area?

Not an option.

Once he found himself in the new tunnel he placed his right hand flat against the wall on his right and stretched his other hand to the wall opposite. Reaching a bit more he estimated that the tunnel was just a little more than his arms outstretched. Raising his hands to the roof of the tunnel left him exhaling a sigh of relief. He had been a bit worried that the tunnel was a bit too short but, once standing up from his crouched position he had taken after entering, the young man found that the tunnels height was about nine foot. The idea of his headache starting up again was not something he wanted to experience any time soon by bashing his head against a low hanging stalactite.

Traveling along the tunnel for a while, it might have been a few minutes at least, before hitting another tunnel with its own draft. This draft was stronger than the last one. It looked like, whatever circumstance had brought him here; he was nearer to the outside than what he had thought. He was still careful but he picked up the pace, a burning desire to find an exit overriding his common sense. A glow had begun to fill the other end of the tunnel he was traveling along.

Sunlight!

The light, though hard to see after being surrounded by darkness for an unknown time, was welcome to his eyes as he traveled the rest of the way to the cave mouth without using the wall as his guide. A cool breeze swept up and flowed over him; the stifling feeling of the cave washing away. The early morning light slowly crept along the land as the sun rose in the sky. The forest the cave stood high above was a place unknown to him as well as the landscape. Scanning the farther landmarks revealed to him a large mountain….with a city resting on it?

Peering at it closely confirmed that the place was built on a mountain but he could not pick out clear shapes. Another settlement was nearer to his location. It was a bit smaller but he could pick out the colors of some of the buildings now. Passing through the forest was the best way to get to the small town. Gazing at the mountain that was so far away was the only thing his eyes seemed to be drawn to.

Would he find out where he was by traveling _there_ or to the smaller town? The young man sat down outside the mouth of the cave as he contemplated the distance between him and the mountain city. Even if he had begun traveling the moment he came out of the cave he would never make it to that place before dark. This place, since he was unfamiliar to it, was probably not a safe place to travel at night. A sigh escaped his lips as he groomed a hand into his hair—

His hair…it felt strangely…longer than before.

Surprise then confusion crossed his face as he explored the strands a bit with his fingers. It was slightly coarse. Maybe he had been in that cave for more a day? A few days? A week maybe? These questions kept coming to his mind as he felt against his scalp for the root of a hair. After taking a hair in between his index finger and thumb he pulled the hair from his head. The young man expected to see his normal brown hair.

But it wasn't brown; it was blue.

It wasn't just blue but a _dark _blue. He had not remembered _ever _dying his hair a different color. It just hadn't suited him as he was growing up. Why was it this color? A sudden realization had dawned on him and caused him to drop the blue hair when he noticed something else. What were once hands were no longer hands; not entirely. The basic shape of his hands could be noticed when he looked at them but something had caused his hands to grow larger and…beastly. What once had been nails had become long black claws, curving into sharp points. Short hairs covered the majority of his hands before growing gradually longer as it traveled up his arms. The young man's throat tightened as the words he wanted to ask were impossible to find as his large paw-like hands began to shake.

What's happened to me?

He closed his eyes tightly while his breathing sped up; trying in vain to calm it. His quivering arms refused to stop shaking no matter how much he focused his thoughts on the action. The knuckles on his strange hands turned white as the youth squeezed his claws into the insides of his palm; drawing the dark blood inside his veins. This can't be real!

Then why could he feel the pain?

It was with great determination that the young man unclenched his blood soaked claws from his palms. Staring at the small puddle of blood gathering in the hollows of his new hands gave him another thought; a mirror.

He needed to look at his face…or… what _was _his face.

His mind began to work again as it latched onto something that didn't have it looking at this alien appearance of his. Speaking of his appearance…the only thing he seemed to be wearing was the new, long, and blue fur along with the remains of his blue jeans. Peering at, what used to be, his jeans the legs had become ragged and torn to make room for his new body. He snapped his head back up to keep himself from looking at his body any further. But he did know that the jeans had become shorts and were just a tad bit tight on him.

The cave happened to have a trail, though faint, leading from it to the surrounding forest. It led down into a section of a small forest with patches of sunlight shining through the thick leaves of the trees. The newly transformed teen kept to the shadows; one part in reaction to being in a new place and the other to keep himself from being seen by anyone. His ears caught the sound of rushing water off of the trail to his right before lightly treading on the leaf litter upon the ground. It was a small creek with clear water reflecting the sunlight's glare.

The male noticed the sound of bird song wasn't present in the forest. It had been quiet the whole trip into the wood and there was still an absence of animal sounds. Going to a small pool of water, after peering through the bushes and smaller trees growing next to the creek before deciding it was safe to come out, he knelt down on his knees as he got a good look at himself.

It still came as a shock.

There was barely a trace of his original face left. His face, like his body, was covered in blue fur. It resembled that of a wolf except for the eyes; his eyes were cat-like and yellow. Long, pointed, canine ears took the place of his small round ones. Reaching up to his face he held the short muzzle that supported a black wolf-like nose in his palm; feeling the fur lining it. The inside of his mouth was similar to a dog; pink gums and throat with white, large, fangs when he opened it with his fingers. After taking a deep breath he examined his upper torso.

The young man remembered how small he was compared to his brothers and sister. What once had been small thin arms were now a knotted mass of muscles as thick as a young oak. The fur around his shoulders hung low and over his chest. It was like he was wearing a long, furry, scarf around his shoulders. His chest and shoulders were broader than it had been as well; flat and powerful.

This would have been an ideal body for him if he hadn't looked like he did.

Below the hips and to his legs were also well built. Feeling along his stomach he could feel a hard formation of muscles underneath his fingertips. The legs were just one step from being a wolf's natural legs if it hadn't been for the broad, four-toed, humanistic foot attached to it. Each toe was tipped with a sharp black claw. The two middle toes reached farther than the other two toes; almost a half-length longer in fact. It was most likely that these feet, since they were like a wolves/dogs, was meant to give them extra traction as they ran and gain even faster speeds.

A dull pain resonated from his palms where he had pierced them. Opening his palms for a moment had reopened the wound and new blood flowed. The teen had taken his tongue and licked the wound clean of blood before he knew what he had just done. A bitter smile forced its way on his face.

"I really am becoming something else," Even his own voice shocked him. It was a little deeper than it had been; almost rich but there was a hint of something wild in the way he spoke. This body was just _full _of unexpected things. But there was one thing that wasn't unexpected; his appearance wasn't normal and wouldn't be treated understandably. Even if he had come to accept his face it was still terrifying and, most likely, people would attack him or drive him away. He didn't know how or why he was like this but he was going to find out if this was some sick joke or an unknown disease.

And his best chance was that mountain city.

Glancing up at the sun he estimated he had at least six hours or so of sunlight left. Sitting down had caused his legs to go numb after a while; stretching his new arms and legs he again got back onto the trail leading into the forest; keeping to the shadows as he had before. Unbeknownst to the young creature a shadowed creature with four legs followed at a distance behind him before flying off on tattered wings.

Green fields turned to sand as the winged-being flew west towards the San Palamino Desert. After scanning the deserts own unique mountain it finally found another of its kin; nestled in the shade of a rock outcropping while the sun baked the sands. The huddled black creature watched as the newcomers four hooves touched down on the rocky ledge.

"State your business." The other male creature's echoing voice demanded; sounding like gravel grating against each other.

The male, after folding his beetle-like translucent blue-green wings to his back, nodded in understanding. "I am Wisp. I have news for the Queen." Wisp gestured in the direction he had flown from with his muzzle. "Something just appeared in my sector. I need a replacement to look after it until I return." The voice was raspy and held the echoing quality of its species.

"My name is Ward." Ward walked closer to Wisp; holding out the spike protruding from his head to his brethren's. "Show me what you found."

The two creatures are called Changelings; creatures that fed off the love of other beings and converting it to food. Taking the appearance of a loved one while feeding off the love and affection from friends and family was how Changelings managed to survive. In other words 'parasite' is what comes to mind when thinking of Changelings and there are _many _of them. Besides being able to fly, and change their appearance, there was one other special feature; Memory Touch.

All it requires is a touch from a Changeling to another of its kind. It was a simple and effective way to give detailed reports.

When Wisp touched his horn to Ward's it had felt like an eternity. Memories that had been gathered in hours were transferred to Ward in less than a heartbeat but Ward felt what Wisp had felt in his stead. Ward had his eyes closed as he received the data; breathing in deeply before opening his eyes again. The memories had been focused on one dark blue creature standing on two legs.

The stranger had been making his way out of the forest and towards Dodge Junction.

Ward nodded to Wisp. "You may go now. My replacement will be here soon to relieve me. I'll wait for him and update him." Ward, after saying what he would do, laid back down in the shade of the rock outcropping; waiting for the replacement.

Wisp wasted no time in lifting off of the ground towards the south where his home lay. The winged-being made great speed away from the San Palamino Desert towards the south of Equestria. Land underneath him slowly changed from trees and fertile lands to barren wastelands and twisted trees as he moved further and further away from the mountains and valleys. The Badlands were free of life; dead shrubs distanced far apart. No creature lived in that lifeless place…at least not _ordinary _creatures.

As Wisp traveled further into the Badlands a large obsidian structure came into view; The Hive. It was the new home of the Changelings. Two Changelings in dark blue armor plating along their flanks, legs and heads guarded the twin obsidian doors that led into the palace. More Changelings flew around the palace itself; making sure no one could get close to it without being spotted.

The creature, like many of his fellow Changelings, was pitch-black in color. Born with the same holey insectoid green-blue translucent wings he came at a dash down the hall; being admitted earlier by the guards of the palace. Air flowed past his slender body and passed through the holes of his legs causing him to go faster with less resistance. Large glowing arctic-blue eyes, along with similarly fanged muzzles, could be seen from the semi-darkness of the halls as he approached the Queen's Royal Chambers. Wisp breathed heavily as he waited for the word.

"Come in." A female, echoing, distorted voice called from within the chambers. The Changeling hesitated only for a moment before getting shoved from behind by someone before the doors closed silently behind him. At the end of the room sat a large bed of dark silken sheets embroidered with the Queen's insignia; a pair of black tattered wings on a sickly green field. On that bed was the Queen herself; Queen Chrysalis.

The Changelings respected their Queen like the air they breathed; they needed her and, in their own way, loved her. Wisp got down on one bended leg, with the other leg extended, before going into a deep and respectable bow. 'Your Highness. Thank you for the audience on such short notice. I am eternally grateful for your patience and kindness."

Queen Chrysalis smiled without humor before speaking again in that strange, echoing, out of synch voice; moving her head in an upward motion. "I am kind. Thank you. Now…" The queen stood up from her bed, her slender body similar to her subjects. Legs, wings, hair, and tail full of holes. Instead of the artic-blue eyes she instead had large ova green eyes; glowing brilliantly in the semi-darkness. A small black crown with blue, rounded, jewels sitting on four points was levitated to the long locks of teal mane atop her head. The black twisted horn atop the queens head glowed a sickly green once again as she used her magic to bring a black comb to smooth out wrinkles in her holey teal colored mane. "Tell me _why _you left your post at your own…discretion?" A small flick of her equally teal colored, and holey, tail was the only indication of Queen Chrysalis's barely suppressed irritation.

Changelings that left their post were given fairly harsh punishments handled by their superiors or the Queen herself. One rumor went around that the queen would expose the poor Changeling to the elements for one full day and night. The Badlands has very little rain, full sun exposure, and dead vegetation. If it wasn't bad enough that the sun by itself could kill or dehydrate a Changeling to death the temperatures at night were bad. The night air could reach well below freezing. Wisp had come back on patrol one night to find frost developing on the palace exterior. Queen Chrysalis had only granted Wisp this audience on two possibilities; either what Wisp had to say was important or was an emergency situation.

"I was making my usual rounds in my sector when a strange creature made its appearance down from a cave in the moun—." Wisp started and was interrupted by Queen Chrysalis.

The Queen had taken her eyes from her reflection and stared through her mirror at Wisp with those glowing green oval eyes. "A cave?" It was a quiet question but Wisp was able to tell from Queen Chrysalis's posture that she was riveted and silently making a point to tell more about the cave in question. The comb that she had been brushing through her mane slowed and stopped as Wisp had mentioned the cave.

Wisp, having the permission to stand up after the greeting was over, nodded softly. "Yes Your Majesty. It's located just east of here; on the other side of the Badlands next to the Haysead Forest not far from the bog. It wasn't a very high place. Pretty easy if anypony decided to walk up the path leading to it. When I replaced the day shift they hadn't reported anything unusual." Wisp had talked to the Changeling of the day shift and nothing that male had said mentioned _anything_ about what he saw this morning.

The Queen had snapped him back into reality by clearing her throat audibly.

Wisp made a quick bow of his head. "My deepest apologies Your Majesty, my mind wondered." He cleared his throat and continued with his report. Wisp explained the event of the creature sitting on the ledge looking out to Equestria, to the event down by the pool of water, and the eventual journey the stranger was taking towards Dodge Junction.

Queen Chrysalis, moving to lie back on her bed, was silent for a few minutes. Her twisted horn glowed once again as she levitated a scroll from a cubicle in the wall along with four small weights. The Queen, after laying the paper flat on the widespread bed, placed the small weights on the corners to hold it down before the glow of her horn faded. After studying the approximate location of the new visitor on her map she looked back at Wisp.

"Do you have an idea of whatthis…_visitor _was looking at specifically?" Wisp joined his Queen at her bedside and looked at the map she was staring at. After a few moments thought of the ledge he was sitting on when the stranger came out of the cave before it had looked off to Equestria…

"Besides Dodge Junction…the closest locations would be Appleoosa and the southern part of the Everfree forest; Ponyville territory. Possibly farther cities but I didn't see where exactly." Wisp had pointed to the cities with the tip of his holey hoof before finishing.

The Queen was silent for some time before she made a dismissive gesture with her hoof.

"Good work. Was it Wisp? I would like you to come back in a few hours after you've had some rest. Tonight you set out to follow our visitor; see what he's up to and if he's willing to _help _our cause."

A cruel smile had developed on Queen Chrysalis's face as the guards opened the doors to let Wisp out. This could be _exactly _what she needed to find food aplenty for her subjects and a royal new home for herself.

My name; what is my name?

That thought had crossed the monstrous teen's mind more than a few times along his travel through the forest. Memories that should have been trivial to his old self now were out of his reach. It was hard for him to describe it. It was like someone had traced the outlines of a painting and had started painting it before stopping to move onto another one; leaving the original incomplete. A deep, throbbing, pounding began in his head as he chased after the memories. The harder he tried to remember the worse the pain.

The memories that were, more or less, complete gave him something. Softly clutching his head with his right paw-like hand as he moved along he went over what he knew.

He could remember that his family, the faces of his parents and siblings blotted out, were middle classed; not too poor or rich. The house was…gray with white curtains. A mini-van sat outside a rolling door garage…a medium sized dog...and yelling. Two voices; one female and one male arguing with each other about something. As he tried to remember what the reason to the argument was white hot pain encroached on him.

A growl of irritation escaped his animalistic lips as he forced himself to remember; the pain threatening to overwhelm him. Sheer will kept the teenager from fainting on the spot as bits of the memory came back to him.

_He found himself huddled in the corner of a small space. A narrow slit of light fell across the wall to his right. There was something he was gripping in his left hand. Putting it up to the slit of light he could see it was a patched, blue, buttoned-eyed elephant. It was his little sister's stuffed animal. His sister's name was... Abbey. She was no more than a toddler with golden hair. Then it hit him._

_He had come in here to get this elephant._

_Abbey had said she was playing in their parent's room and had left her toy in here after her bath. Being her older brother he had gone to retrieve it and then the adults had come into the room. _

_"Did you put the boys and Abbey to bed?" A soft spoken but strong voice asked. The soft scrapping of feet on carpet announced their mother. Creaking temporarily entered the silence as their mother took her time to answer._

_"Yes. Abbey didn't want to let go of— so I let them sleep together." The teenager strained to hear the one word of her sentence of who Abbey had been holding onto. It was as if someone had put beeswax in his ears; smothering the sound of that one word. Was it his name? It had to be. _

_A sigh escaped his father; slightly muffled by, what the teen assumed, a hand covering his mouth. "Have you thought about it? What we talked about the other day?"_

_A stab of hot white pain was inflicted inside his head; making air hiss in between his teeth. Something…was wrong. What was he not supposed to know?_

_His parents had not stopped talking; acting as if they hadn't heard the noise. "Chris…I don't think we should—"_

_But Chris, his father, interrupted. "Margaret. You _know _something is different about him. Unusual things have been happening lately." Chris had begun counting down on his fingers. "Strange accidents, a fight that sent that kid to the hospital, and the river."_

_ River? What happened there? _

_A groan escaped the teen's mouth before clutching his head tightly in between his hands; unable to hold the memory together any more. The slit of light faded as the closet was washed away to be accompanied with the sound of someone screaming a name:_

_Brandon! _

His eyes flew opened. A need for oxygen controlled his actions as he sat up abruptly; greedily sucking in air to his lungs. For many minutes he sat there, trying to slow his racing heart. The pain had started to fade once his hold on the memory had begun slipping. A crunching noise broke his concentration as his ears flicked up; trying to catch the source of the sound. After a few moments the mystery was revealed.

The crunch had been because of his fingers.

During his time unconscious he had been leaning his back against the trunk of a tree; his hand had been resting on an exposed tree root. The razor sharp claws on his right hand had closed down with crushing force; causing the bark and wood to splinter in his grip. Loosening his hand caused the splinters to fall free of the root, littering the ground. The teen, in curiosity, closed his monstrous hand once before opening it again.

There was no cut or bruise where there should have been.

He hid his beastly face in his equally beastly hands.

Chris and Margaret, he couldn't bear to call them his parents in this state, had been discussing something. Whatever they were talking about he knew deep inside it was about him.

But why couldn't he remember any of those 'accidents' or a fight? Then Chris had mentioned something about a river. What could have happened there that had a grown man worried?

This puzzled the teen to practically no end. But another piece of his shattered life was returned to him. The name he had heard before the memory had ended, Brandon. He was _positive _that was his name. It wasn't much but at least he had something.

"Brandon." He whispered to himself; feeling the familiarity resound within his mind. Looking up through the canopy, after removing his large hands from his face, he estimated the time and was sure that he had at least a few hours left of sunlight. After a little while, with a small grunt, he stood up on his legs a little shakily; taking long strides. Tree branches whipped him every now and again on his arms and legs.

Getting out of the forest was first priority above all else.

The only sound was the steady pace of his wolf-like feet hitting the ground for most of the trip. A few times on the hike the teen was sure he had seen something move in the shadows. Paranoia seemed to be getting to Brandon after hearing or seeing nothing of wildlife. Brush would move every now and then farther down the trail.

Were the animals running from him?

It would make sense. Anything that looked like a threat was usually avoided by animals. Their instincts are what keep them alive when it comes to survival after all.

Time passed and he didn't know how long he had hiked but saw the tree line of the forest up ahead highlighted by sunlight. He didn't hesitate and raced toward the light, bursting out of a bush that had stood in his way. Leaves slowly fell from the air before scattering over the ground before the teen got his bearings. A brown dirt road was off to his left heading into two directions.

Looking at the road Brandon noticed the southern end of the road entered a bowl created by a chain of mountains. He had come from a cave on the outer part of the mountains before he got here. The northern part of the road led to a town. Thinking back he had forgotten one thing;

How was he going to go into town like the way he was now?

The thought had come across his mind once he had looked into the pool of water but had eventually trailed off when he had traveled through the forest and gotten another memory back. Traveling in broad daylight in the state he was in was not something the monstrous teen wanted to take a swing at. Looking at the town again he noticed there was a bit of the forest appearing to branch towards the town.

Brandon, without a moment's hesitation, leapt back into the forest; clearing the bush he had stumbled through earlier. It was decided. He would get as close as he could to the town by means of the forest and wait until night had fallen.

Surprise, after noticing the distance he had cleared the bush, made his eyes widen before an idea struck him. Glancing at his open palms with the claws spread he hooked himself onto a large oak tree. Giving a slight tug pulled away a bit of the bark but held his hands. Brandon pushed downwards with his legs to raise him off the ground as he began to climb; crawling up the tree like a large dark blue spider.

Looking down at the ground thirty feet below him made him smile softly. Maybe this new body _wasn't _as bad as he originally thought. The teen reached the top of the tree where the branches met before branching out to catch the sunlight. A thirty foot gap stood between him and the next tree. Ten feet could easily break the neck or any other bone in the body of a person.

But he wasn't a person anymore…not entirely.

Once he had taken a deep breath he backed up as far as he could before pushing off the trunk of the tree, feeling the air whistle through his fur. The teen instinctively braced for the landing as his palms and feet touched the rough bark of the opposite tree. It was impressive but he could do better…he _knew _he could do better.

An exhilarated smile crept on the monstrous teen's face as he climbed up the few inches of the tree to start again. Again Brandon leapt and, this time, he landed on branches as thick as his broad shoulders. Running along the branch to get a good leap he couldn't quite make the other tree. He hadn't made good enough contact with the tree to leap properly. Something flashed in the corner of his eye; making him grab for it. It had been a thick branch from other trees; the forest canopy was full of them.

Grabbing the tree branch as he fell stopped him from falling over thirty feet to the ground. A sigh of relief escaped his lips before he was presented with another problem.

There wasn't another branch to get to and this one was barely able to support, what he supposed, was a heavy body. Choosing, what might be considered deadly in a few moments, to start swinging on the branch; swinging his legs far forward before retracting them to swing backwards. Repeating the motion gradually gave him more and more momentum as he began to swing up and around like he was in gymnastics. The spins were gradually gaining speed as he swung; the thick skin on his palms protecting him from splinters.

In his spinning world he could see a branch higher up above him and straight ahead. If he could just time it…

As his body swung down to start another rotation he let go. Air rushed passed his ears as he gained altitude to sink his claws into the thick tree branch above him. After a quick look down at the branch he had been stuck on he climbed atop the thick branch; perching on it as he looked through the distant trees. Faint colors could be seen through the tree line.

The town wasn't far now.

Minutes of swinging from branches like that of a jungle gym and leaping from others brought Brandon steadily closer and closer to the town. After staying as far as he could to prevent his discovery, but close enough to get in and out without being seen, he rested high up in the branches of one great oak tree. Each tree he had passed seemed to have stood for centuries undisturbed. Maybe it was a forest preservation project?

The youth could remember seeing oak trees where he had lived and none of them were _this _big. Oak trees would get tall and thick but to be as thick as these wasn't something he could get his mind wrapped around. Most trees this large were cut down for lumber and firewood. Either this town had enough money and reputation to keep lumber industries at bay…or something else entirely. Brandon didn't know what that other reason might be but he wasn't going to dwell on it. For right now the plan is to wait until the sun had set before starting out again.

His mouth opened wide as a yawn escaped him.

Traveling through the forest, he didn't know how many miles he had traveled, had made him a little tired. A soft grumble came from his stomach as it demanded sustenance. Brandon glanced down at it before rubbing it gently. Missing meals would probably become a norm for him if he avoided towns. His journey could not be made without food every once in a while. Leaning his back against the trunk of the tree, he closed his yellow cat-like eyes. Taking a short nap would make the time go faster and give him time to make additional plans for the trip.

"Finally." A raspy, echoing voice muttered. Wisp had been following the newcomer for the last couple of hours on the ground, something he doesn't do if he could fly, almost losing him a few times in the silent chase. Wisp had relieved Ward a few hours ago; coming in time to see the blue creature fall on the ground. The two had watched while he writhed for a few minutes on the ground wondering if, the creature their queen had plans for, would die.

"What happened?" Wisp had asked Ward; keeping his arctic-blue eyes on the creature as his beetle-like wings buzzed against his flank.

Ward shook his head softly. "Don't know. I was following him like you requested and he started slowing down. He had been clutching his head between those…" Ward seemed to struggle putting a word to use. "…_claws_, grunted, then collapsed against the tree." Ward tilted his head slightly as he watched the creature, not seeing him move or breathe. "Think he's dead?"

The creature, as if he was answering Ward's question, growled again before crushing the exposed root he was holding in his state of unconsciousness between his claws; making the two Changelings jump.

Wisp had chuckled in amusement. "Does _that _answer your question?" Taking a few cautious steps, just out of reach of those claws, toward the creature he examined it a little more closely. It reminded Wisp a lot of the Timberwolves native to Equestria; savage and fierce. Wisp lifted one of his holey, black, hooves to his chin in thought. What _was _this thing? It didn't resemble anything like his sources of food; Unicorns, Pegasus's, or Earth Ponies. It was capable of speech so maybe it would know—

"Well. I think I'm finished here. I'll be heading back to The Hive now." Ward's words had interrupted Wisp's thoughts. Ward glanced at the strange creature on the ground before opening his tattered beetle-like wings. "Good luck Wisp."

"I may need more than that." Wisp said softly to himself as he remembered the fading black dot of Ward disappearing into the distance. The slowly dimming sun bathed his target in a warm orange glow. The Changeling knew, though his target was asleep at the moment, he was still unpredictable. Luckily he could keep a better eye on him from the treetops.

Wisp, picking out a tree a good distance away, flew to the top of the branches. His hooves carefully touched down; not wanting to wake his mission objective. A small gap in the leaves gave Wisp a good place to keep an eye on the strange creature.

_"Wisp, what's your report?" _Queen Chrysalis's voice whispered from around his neck. The Changeling glanced down to the small amulet he wore around his neck; it shone with a dark green color as his Queen spoke to him. It was a small oval green gem the size of a large cherry. It was set in a gold-wrought bezel to hold it in place. A small loop had been designed on the amulet to allow it to be hung around a neck with a chain.

The amulet was designed to give a connection to Wisp and his Queen. Before Queen Chrysalis had sent him on his way he had been given this amulet and simple instructions; keep the target in sight and report every few hours or when something occurred.

"The target is asleep in a tree. We're at the edge of Haysead Forest right outside of Dodge Junction. I'm in another tree not too far from him keeping vigilance." Wisp whispered to the amulet.

Queen Chrysalis was silent for a little while before speaking again. "_And the visitor? Anything happen when you and Ward changed posts?" _

Ward wasn't at The Hive yet. Wisp nodded his head slightly; though he knew his Queen couldn't see it. "Yes. Ward had said the target had been acting strangely." Then Wisp had gone into detail about what had occurred during the objective's time of unconsciousness and what had happened after he had woken up.

Wisp, after the report was finished, listened as a soft chuckle emitted from the amulet. "_What a strange creature. At least he will be useful. When he goes into that state again…contact me. It sounds like our _guest _will need guidance along the way."_

"Yes Your Majesty." Wisp bowed his head in respect as his Queen's presence left him. The same curiosity Wisp had when he switched places with Ward came back in full force. Was this a new species of mythical creature? And if not…where _had _this creature come from if not from Equestria?


	2. Chapter 2: A Sunny Paradise

**-Hello! Here is the second chapter of "My Little Pony: A Different World". I hope you enjoy it and, like I had written previously, please review or critic this story. It would a great help on improving on my writing skills. And this "****" is just something to show you that I'm switching from one scene to another. Thank you if you spent time reading this or have made a review. Thanks again!**

**Sincerely,**

**BV-**

**Chapter 2: A Sunny Paradise**

A yawn escaped the mouth of a young mare Unicorn. Her moderately violet-colored coat easily picked out of the other town's residents as her hooves clopped down the dirt street. A claw poked the Unicorn in the cheek; trying to get the mare's attention. It was bustling today. Mares and stallions were baking, offering cleaning services, news, and much more.

"Twiiiiiilight! Twilight? Were you up late last night again?" The question coming from a small purple, male, dragon walking next to the female unicorn called Twilight. The dragon, though he was still just a baby, had been with Twilight ever since she had passed an important test to ensure her continuation for study of magic. The ruler of the land of Equestria had accepted Twilight as her student after witnessing the great power during the hatching Spike, the baby purple dragon, from his egg.

Eventually Spike's words eventually snapped her out of her sleepy trance; causing her to shake her head. The dark blue, pink, and purple streaked mane swung with the motion of her head.

"Hmm? Sorry Spike." An apologetically sleepy smile spread over her face. "I was up late studying—"Another yawn had interrupted her sentence. "—with Owlowiscious on the _Equestrian Creatures Index."_

Owlowiscious is a horned owl Twilight keeps as her pet and late night study companion. Since Spike can't stay up as late as Twilight she has Owlowiscious fetch her books and other supplies as she studies whatever subject was current to her curiosity.

Spike blinked his bright green eyes, the black slit of his pupil contracting in the daylight, once in confusion before shrugging his small scaly shoulders; scratching one of his fin-like green scales, that traveled from his head to his back, with one claw. "I don't see why Twilight. I'm sure you know just about everything about Equestria by now. Nopony around here knows as much as you do."

Twilight chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Close but I'm not _that _knowledgeable. There is just _so _much yet to be discovered about Equestria. It's full of possibilities." Twilight thought of Zecora when she thought of new knowledge.

Spike shrugged his shoulders again before raising his arms up to emphasize his passiveness. "Eh. I like things how they are. It's simpler. Like…if I decided I wanted gems. Why would I go somewhere else when there is shiny, succulent, scrumptious…" Spikes mouth began to water as images of flawless sapphires, emeralds, rubies, and other priceless gems passed through his mind's eye; licking his small fanged mouth. After Spike noticed Twilight's teasing expression he wiped his mouth.

"The point is, Twilight, sometimes things don't need to change. You never know what dangers might be out there." Spike began counting on his claws. "Parasprites, Diamond Dogs, Hyrda's, Night Mare Moon, Ursa Minor, Discord, Queen of the Changelings—"

The young unicorn rolled her eyes. "Spike, we handled _all _of those dangers and won. Friendship and determination gave us the power to solve them. It goes to show we can handle anything as long as we work together."

Most of those situations had been caused by outside interferences. Parasprites are creatures that eat tremendous amounts of food and multiply rapidly. Princess Luna, Princess Celestia's younger sister, had become jealous and evil before becoming the dreaded Night Mare Moon thousands of years ago. The Elements of Harmony, wielded by Twilight and her five friends, had changed Princess Luna back to her former self. Snips and Snails, two young colts, had woken an Ursa Minor from its nap; causing it to attack the town just so a boastful Unicorn named Trixie could defeat it. When that failed Twilight had used her magic to put the large baby back to sleep and place it back into the cave where it belonged.

It made Twilight smile in spite of herself. She and her friends had been through a lot together.

Over the years Spike had become Twilight's 'Number One Assistant' in Canterlot. Spike's duty was to keep the library clean and organized, getting writing supplies, new books to add to the collection of knowledge, and providing meals for the forgetful mare. Spike would jokingly say that Twilights head was 'filled with shelves of books instead of brains' if anypony ever asked him. Spike had stayed with Twilight when the option to go back to Canterlot came to them; deciding to stay in Ponyville with their friends instead when Night Mare Moon had been defeated.

"Okay, okay. But it has been quiet since your brother's and Princess Candence's wedding." Spike smiled peacefully. "It's been enjoyable. Everything is back to how it should be."

Spike, Twilight, and her friends had been part of a wedding. Shining Armor is Twilight's brother and captain of the Canterlot Guard. Princess Cadence is Twilight's old foalsitter and sister-in-law. It was because of the combined magic, and love, of the two Unicorns that banished the evil Queen Chrysalis and her Changeling army far from Canterlot.

Twilight nodded her head and giggled; kneeling down a bit. "Climb on. We have to get to Sweet Apple Acres."

Spike took the offered ride and sat upright; holding onto Twilight's shoulders as she began to run. After passing the buildings and out onto a well-traveled dirt road Spike and Twilight arrived at the picketed white fence of Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight raced up the dirt path past apple trees until they came upon the Apple's farm house. Winona, the Apple family's dog, greeted the Twilight and Spike at the entrance of the barn.

"Hey Winona! Where's Applejack?" Spike asked from Twilight's back.

"Right here Spike." A southern accented voice said from behind Spike; making him jump.

"Wah!" Spike, surprised, fell to the ground with a soft _thud_.

An Earth Pony with a long blonde mane and tail nosed Spike off the ground. Red hair bands kept the end of her mane and tail from getting caught in anything. A light brown Stetson hat rested on top of her head; right above her ears. Freckles dotted both sides of Applejack's face contrasting with her leaf-green eyes. The Earh Pony's coat was of a pale dark yellow with a mark of a group of three red apples on her flank.

"Sorry partner. Up you go. Didn't mean to scare ya." Applejack laughed softly. "But it was pretty darn funny."

Spike just crossed his arms and huffed; his pride damaged.

The two mares shared a laugh at Spike's expense for a few minutes before Twilight got a hold of herself. "Soooo Applejack. Did you need help with something?"

The farmer pony nodded; pointing her hoof towards the Apple House. "Big Macintosh worked real late yesterday with that freak storm comin' in all of a sudden. Placed his hoof all wrong on the hill and slid down it." Applejack then sighed softly remembering the strange storm.

Twilight widened her eyes in worry while Spike grimaced at the idea of a sprain; having gotten sprained claws from writing nonstop without taking a break before. "Will he be alright? Has he checked into the Pony Hospital?"

Applejack shook her head slightly. "No, no, no. He's fine. Big Mac will just need to keep off his leg for a few days or so." The olive-haired pony rolled her eyes. "I swear that brother o' mine works himself to the bone. Talk about a work pony."

Applejack smiled embarrassingly. "I'm sorry to trouble y'all but I need some help with the new warehouse we made."

Twilight sighed in relief at hearing the good news. Big Macintosh was a quiet, kind, hard-working pony. The unicorn smiled. "It's no trouble at all. Right Spike?" Twilight turned to look at Spike with her lavender eyes.

"Right. We'll take care of it just like that." He emphasized his statement by rubbing his two claws together to make a sort of snapping sound.

Applejack smiled gratefully; leading her friends to the back of the barn. It stood six stories tall, thirty yards wide and ninety yards long. It was made of brick and wood; with windows on each story. Applejack, with a small push of her hoof, led her friends into the well-lit space. Shelves lined the walls from the door to the other end of the warehouse. "Well? What do ya think? Pretty spiffy ain't it?"

"Whoa." Spike and Twilight said in synch at the amount of room, shelves, and labels along the walls.

The country pony chuckled a bit at the expressions on the pairs faces. "I had this in mind for a while. I got to thinking that we could store food, seeds, and anything else that came to mind when winter comes around. The mayor and I agreed that it would be a swell idea to store it here. Everypony knows where we live after all." Applejack gently nudged Twilight to a small crate of wooden labels. "Since you're the best organizer in all of Ponyville, Twilight, I thought you would be the best for the job."

After a cursory examination of the shelves and walls Twilight set to work; taking inventory of where heavier objects should be placed and how to place it to utilize space. As Twilight got to work on organizing Applejack turned to Spike. "I need you to help me with the more delicate matters. See that there barrel?"

Spike looked over to the far end of the building to see a large group of barrels. "Yeah."

Applejack, using the tip of her hoof, knocked against the side of a barrel. A hollow echo resounded inside the barrel. "I need you to find the empty barrels, roll 'em out the door, and I'll be inspectin' for any sort of flaw. I'll be finishing the applebucking." With that said, Applejack galloped down into the apple orchard where she had been when Spike and Twilight showed up.

After a few hours of applebucking, organizing, and barrel rolling the three friends sat down to a picnic lunch out in the orchard. It was a widespread variety of daisy sandwiches, apple juice, baked sweets like small cakes and pies, salad, and more. Spike skipped much of the vegetables and went right to an apple pie; putting a small dab of cream onto his pie slice. Twilight and Applejack talked for much of the time; seeing what their friends were doing, recent news about Ponyville, then the topic on the freak weather that struck late last night.

The wind had been strong enough to bend the younger saplings and breaking branches off of older trees. Many items were blown away in the storm. Applejack had talked to one Pegasus pony, named Rainbow Dash, earlier this morning about it.

"It appears it was a freak accident or a prank." Applejack went on while moving her finished plate of pie off to the side. "Although I'm not quite sure how any critter was able to get into Cloudsdale without being seen. Pegasi guards were posted plenty up there."

Twilight nodded. "True. It would've taken more than one pony to make that size of a storm." Cloudsdale was a city made of clouds; the home of many Pegasus ponies and the place where weather was made. Rainbow Dash is one of the ponies that kept the weather in check in Ponyville. It was not like Rainbow Dash to let something like this happen. Something major had happened last night…but what? Rainbow Dash is loyal to both Equestria and her friends but even she would be busy with all the likely reports coming in from across Equestria asking about conditions and if Cloudsdale had any idea what had happened.

"Speaking of the storm…" Applejack looked at Twilight with a little concern. "Did you ponies hear the wind _say _something by any chance?" Those words stopped Spike in between a bite of a cupcake.

Spike, after wiping his face on a napkin, tapped his scaly chin in thought with a claw. "Yeah…now that you mention it…I _did _hear something." A definite shiver could be seen crawling up Spike's spine. "I'm not sure if it did say something but I thought I heard this." Spike cleared his throat and began to recite:

"_I need to escape. Let me out."_

"Talking winds? That's scary." Twilight voiced as she and Applejack shared the same shiver.

Spike munched on his cupcake quietly as he remembered something else the wind, or what he thought, had said. This time it had said very softly in the raging tempest of the storm; making his cup his lime green feather-ears to hear better.

_I need somewhere to go...I don't belong anywhere…I'm alone. _

It sounded sad…and hurt. To be alone was something not to take lightly. Friendships are great and powerful things. Being alone for the rest of somepony's life…it wasn't comprehensible to Spike. His friends were always there for him and they were like family to him. Spike didn't know who his parents were or where they had gone but, even though he didn't have a real family, friends were still the best things to happen to him.

The cupcake didn't taste as sweet as it was earlier but he finished it anyway; not wanting it to go to waste. The young dragon yawned slightly after his rumbling scaly tummy was finally filled.

As the sun began to set Spike, Twilight, and Applejack finished the warehouse; having put everything in the right places. Applejack said her farewells to her two friends after promising to see them tomorrow. Applejack watched Twilight and Spike exit the gate before returning to the Apple house.

Spike breathed a small sigh before looking up at the sky as he walked back toward their tree home. The sunlit sky was slowly being chased away by the night sky. Constellations peeked out from their places in the partly cloudy night. But one caught Spike's attention the most. It was very bright and distinct; making him pause in his walking.

Stars littered the sky but this one star seemed to be brighter than the rest. There were a few bright stars in the sky but what made this one special was the fact that it seemed to stand alone. Like a drop of bright white paint on a black background there was a space around that was vacant; empty.

I'm alone.

The wind's words resounded sadly within Spike's heart, placing his clawed hand over his scaly chest as he felt the steady beating of his heart.

"Spike? Are you coming?" Twilight had stopped to look back at her assistant, a little confused as to why he had stopped suddenly.

"Sorry. I think the cupcake is disagreeing with me." A small smile spread across his face before he followed Twilight again. Glancing up at the trees he could've sworn he saw eyes staring back at him through the trees. Rubbing his eyes again showed that no eyes had been there.

"I guess it's just my mind playing tricks on me." Spike muttered before arriving at their tree home in Ponyville; bolting the door behind him as the two called it a night.

A city on a mountain was emptying of residents as nobles and other high class ponies turned in for the night as well. Canterlot Guards patrolled the stone walls of the capital city of Equestria on both earth and air. Guards of the day were replaced by their nightshift staff, the dayshift ponies returning to their quarters in the barracks. Lamps along the street provided a soft glow for the guards to use or, when it wasn't enough, used their horns lights to guide their way.

A large white and gold castle dominated the center of the city, home to Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence. Guards patrolled the halls and the perimeters of the castle; not leaving room for trespassers to get in. It seemed unnecessary to most of the high class ponies residing in the city and would often mention it in their gossip sessions. Whether it was necessary or not they trusted their rulers' decisions.

Inside the castle walked one of the rulers; Princess Luna.

The princess, co-ruling Equestria with her sister Princess Celestia, had the sole responsibility for raising the moon and stars. Princess Luna could see the night sky and the stars through the windows. She allowed her blue-green eyes soak in the sight. The moonlight made her lightly colored cobalt mane and tail sparkle like the stars she governed. After a few moments more she moved away from the windows and headed to her sister's bedrooms.

Magic protected her sister's chambers. Luna, after a few moments, gently tapped her silver shoe covered hoof against the door.

"Sister? Is thou there?" Luna spoke like it once was in the days Equestria was still young. After being locked away in the moon for a thousand years it was hard to adjust to this times speech. Every now and then the young princess would fall back into the old speaking patterns, mostly when something was on her mind.

"I'm here. Come in." A calm, elegant voice spoke from within. Luna gave a small shove with her hoof to open the door the rest of the way; walking into her sisters quarters.

Shelves of books lined the walls of the room with subjects from myth to science even to magic. An unlit fireplace sat alone on one wall with a large pillow next to it if her sister wanted to read by the fire during cold nights. This night was warm so the fire stayed unlit but the pillow remained. A large luxurious bed of white silk and goose down was burdened with scrolls and books pulled from the shelves. Each book was either stacked on another or laid on their spine.

Luna, in curiosity, peered at one book in particular before her a cobalt blue aura surrounded her horn as she levitated one of the books to her eyes. It was titled '_Astronomy: Equestria's Study of the Stars'._ Her horn illuminated her black crown in a cobalt-colored light for a few moments longer before she placed the book back onto the bed in puzzlement. A white coated Pegasus Unicorn stood on a balcony looking in a telescope. Princess Celestia, with her white wings folded against her flanks, looked to the stars. Luna's sister was beautiful; with a multiple striped tail and mane of light cerulean, turquoise, a very light blue, and a pale pink-purple.

A three pointed crown of gold set with a purple jewel sat on top of the multi-colored head. Princess Celestia, like her sister Luna, had a horn the same color as her coat sit in front of her crown. A golden aura surrounded Celestia's horn temporarily as the white Pegasus Unicorn adjusted the knobs and settings on her telescope.

Luna steadily walked up to her sister's side, her hooves making small clopping sounds on the slightly rough texture of the stone. The younger sister waited patiently for her older siblings attention to swerve from her stargazing. After a few more minutes Celestia finally finished with the telescope and landed her pale magenta eyes on Luna.

"There you are. Ready to switch shifts sister? It's a wonderful night." A warm smile spread across Celestia's face as she gently bumped her shoulder against her younger sisters; making the young princess step back one step in off balance.

Luna returned the smile and rubbed against her sister. "I am. Thank you for waiting."

Being a royalty didn't provide too many advantages to the workload rulers faced. While Celestia handled negotiations with other lands, made appearances to speak to crowds or select individuals, handled local disputes, and raising the sun every day. It would wear down on anypony after a while. Luna would do whatever she could and picked up the rest of the workload.

Even before Celestia had to raise the moon, when she had locked Luna in the moon when she became the infamous Night Mare Moon, she would do a lot of things by herself and never ask anypony else for help. The younger sister knew her older sisters quirks like her small humorous jokes, loving nature, and strong leadership skills.

It was because Luna cared so much for her sister that she would try to lessen the weight on her sister's shoulders. Luna would help plan traditional weddings for ponies in far off places, gathering the guard's reports in journals, keeping record of recent changes in other cities, keeping the palace cooks updated on what meals they need to prepare, and other smaller tasks.

Princess Luna had been in the barracks discussing what had happened that day with the higher ranking officers and gathering the reports after raising the moon for the evening. The younger sister glanced at her mark on her flank. A crescent moon, the same as the moon she raised, set upon a black splotch of color. Her main responsibility was to raise the moon and the stars while her elder sister raised the sun at dawn.

Celestia smiled warmly again before answering. "I don't mind. It's beautiful tonight and I wanted a few more moments before I retired for the night." For a few moments she kept that smile before her gaze was once again drawn to the stars. The elder sister nuzzled Luna; gently moving her closer to the telescope. "I need your opinion on something dear little sister."

At first Luna was disappointed that the time bonding with her sister was cut short once again but reluctantly agreed and peered through the telescope. Small adjustments were made beforehand to compensate for Luna's smaller size. The tone of her sister's voice had changed. Something was bothering her elder sister. After a few minutes of searching Luna had found it:

A single bright star.

Luna knew most of the constellations and which stars were the brightest. This one was unfamiliar to her. Not only was it one of the brightest stars she had ever seen but was unusual in its placement; a large circle of space was between this one star and all the others. It was as if the star was _shunned _by the others because something made it different from the rest.

"It was not there last night." Celestia's words made Luna look away from the star to stare at a sterner form of her elder sister. Celestia was definitely troubled about the star. "Maybe there is something bigger happening then we realized Luna." Then Celestia stared at the star hard as if trying to silently demand the answer from it. "That storm we had last night was accident or some prank. I'm positive that there is something coming to Equestria. But whatever, or whoever, it is there is no notion to that pony's objective that has been made clear to us."

Celestia gave her sister a small smile when Luna's eyes widened in barely suppressed surprise. "I could always be wrong. We'll just have to make do with keeping a closer watch on Equestria is all." With that said the elder princess trotted slowly to her bed; a soft yawn escaping her lips as golden auras surrounded the books on the bed before being levitated to their rightful places on the shelves. "Good night dear sister. May the stars aid you in your search."

Luna smiled softly and nodded. "Good night Celestia. And thank you." Princess Luna, as the elder princess laid her head down to sleep until the dawn, turned to the open balcony. In a smooth motion the young princess opened her dark sapphire wings, letting the warm night air run over the feathers. With powerful downward strokes she was airborne; the wind whistling in her ears as she alighted on the tallest part of the castle. Also known as 'Bird's Nest' it was a large platform raised high in the air.

Turning toward the north were the Crystal Mountains where her niece, Princess Cadence, was born. To the west resided Baltimare and Filly Delphia behind the mountain Canterlot rested on. The east was home to the Smokey Mountains and Tall Tale. And, finally, to the south were Ponyville, the Everfree Forest, Appleloosa, Macintosh Hills, and the Badlands.

Luna breathed deeply of the night air, glancing up at the stars as her sister had done. She didn't know what that one bright star in the sky meant but, for now, all was well for the time being. Any thoughts the younger princess had of the star and the freak storm were pushed to the back of her mind as she resumed her duty to watch the night.

In other places more ponies had begun to see the new star and stare at it in surprise and intrigued.

A sky blue Pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and tail looked out from her bedroom window in Cloudsdale with a pillow made of cloud underneath her chin. Having sent Pegasus ponies from Filly Delphia to Los Pegasus to quell rogue storm clouds she was bone tired. She wondered what her friends were doing and hoped they were doing alright.

The storm had come out of nowhere and weather alarms sounded off in the Weather Factory at Cloudsdale. Scouts had been sent in Ponyville to warn the residents to stay indoors as the Pegasus ponies fanned out at the command of Rainbow Dash. After a full day, and a rude interruption of Dash's care-free plans for today, of investigating Cloudsdale and reining in rogue clouds everypony could finally take a breather.

A frustrated groan escaped Dash's lips as she tried to let sleep take over her tired equine-body. Dash, when it deigned not to come, could only look out her moonlit window to the clear night sky. It was then that Dash noticed the same thing as other ponies would probably notice in the next few nights.

A new star was in Equestria's sky.

Dash rubbed her hoof against the underside of her chin as she thought back to some of the Pegasus's whispered conversations. Something about a whispering wind…

"Nah." Dash spoke quietly to herself; refusing to believe that a whispering wind could have any connection to the new star. Why would it? It doesn't make sense. Dash wasn't an 'egghead' like her friend Twilight but come on. Anypony would see that talking winds could _not _cause a new star to appear.

But it was there. Something, or somepony, had brought it here. Rainbow Dash didn't know much about it and wondered if some other pony had noticed this.

_It's kinda cool. _The thought passed through the young Pegasus's mind of its own accord. A bright star that was in a large crowd of stars but vastly different from them. The star seemed to command room to make it noticed by all ponies in Equestria to the four corners of their world.

_Kinda cool…but not as cool as _me.

A small giggle escaped the sky-blue mare's throat before it eventually turned into a yawn. Thinking on the subject had begun to tire her out. Rainbow Dash, with a few stretches and cloud pillow adjustment, finally found a comfortable position to sleep in; slightly stretched out on the cloud constructed bed.

Action was more suited to her tastes; not thinking. That _and _her daily naps. Nothing could beat a nap in the sunlight.

Soon Rainbow Dash drifted off into slumber, dreaming of fast races and glory.

Changelings darted to and from within The Hive. Orders were issued to groups while others followed them. Preparations were being made for the army and Queen Chrysalis's subjects. Once Chrysalis had sent Wisp out to keep track of their 'guest' she had immediately set her subjects to work. More than one accident had happened where Changelings had knocked into each other. Angry words were momentarily exchanged before setting off on their tasks again.

Within the bowels of The Hive armorers went to work on their metal working; repairing old armor or making new ones in the furnaces. Tunnels let the smoke produced by the broiling pools of steel to travel outside. Magical auras, of differencing shades of green, surrounded tools and the unfinished steel armor as Changelings worked to perfecting it. Some of the creatures were off to the side testing the armor by various means before either adding it to the finished racks of armor or sending it back to be melted down again.

It was a slow process since most Changelings didn't have any special skill at the task set before them. One thing was for certain though; if Queen Chrysalis desired perfection then she would have it.

Changelings in large groups sparred outside of the castle; hidden by a force field the Queen had erected to keep The Hive hidden from prying eyes. The love parasites didn't head-butt, kick, or otherwise overpower, their partners to an extent where more than bruises could be acquired. Instructors milled through potential candidates, looking for select individuals according to desired traits. It's a training that helps the Queen find the strongest, most cunning, and heartless soldiers.

Those that showed more cunning then strength were put on a special part of Chrysalis's force. The Changeling Queen appropriately called these Changelings 'Infiltrators'. Specially trained Changelings in the art of infiltrating enemy lines and blending within the population by taking on the role of the pony they are taking the form of. Infiltrators had to adeptly take on the mannerisms, personalities, and memories of their victim. Being an Infiltrator is hard to pull off. Becoming a foot soldier in the army would be easier for most Changelings and glory could still be had.

Faster fliers became scouts and messengers. Roles that paled when their brother and sister Changelings were part of an army, metal worker, or an Infiltrator but all roles contributed to the greater whole.

It was one of those scouts that respectfully reported back to Queen Chrysalis while in her chambers. Chrysalis listened silently as she went over the numbers of what her army consisted of at the moment. Unfortunately they weren't what the Queen had expected.

The messenger became the ire of the Queen's narrowed gaze as he faltered on the last bit of the message. "Our spies have kept watch over their sectors…so far nothing has changed…"

Chrysalis nodded impatiently then gestured to the door with her holey black hoof. "I see. You may go now." As she said 'now' the Royal Chamber doors opened silently to let the messenger out; bowing his head deeply before offering his thanks for the audience.

The Queen, once the doors had closed shut, pushed the reports off the side as she began to pace back and forth in her quarters; thinking. She has to push her plans along quickly. After gathering her military instructors, Infiltrator Unit, and metal workers for a private meeting earlier made the Queen more than a little impatient.

Though her subjects were going much faster than she expected it was _still _not enough. The instructors had commented on the lack of, respectfully, fierce warriors. He had continued to explain that many of the likely candidates had begun to doubt themselves and ended up in the rear guard of the army. It was likely do to the last battle on Canterlot.

The Infiltration Unit had better progress. They had begun training over fifty candidates and would be done within a week and a half or less. The 'or less' part implied, if the new recruits learned quickly, they would be ready for field work within the week.

Steady progress with the metal working teams was nearly perfect. When Chrysalis had pushed her questions forward then it was explained to her; the armor they had was insufficient. They had gone through their last batch of metal late this evening. A raid was being planned on the nearest towns. It would be discrete but more than a few of the inhabitant's would be at a loss of words for their missing items.

Then another obstacle reared its ugly head; there would be enough armor for her army and more…but it was still not enough to take on Canterlot. There was easily over four hundred trained stallions and the rest of the pony population which could be easily _double _that amount. Chrysalis's army was a little over three hundred strong.

The Queen issued an irritated snort before stomping her left hoof on the stone floor as she stopped her pacing. Chrysalis was not a fool; going head to head with Princess Celestia's own army with what she had now was a risk she could not afford to take. Soldiers were a supply that Chrysalis was short on so how could she—?

It stopped there; there were far in between too few soldiers in _her _kingdom but…

Queen Chrysalis turned toward her door before calling. "Guard! Bring me Grim!"

A 'Yes Your Majesty' was exchanged before the sound of hooves could be heard racing down the corridors.

The Queen, with a small devilish smile, lay back down on her bed. Her horn highlighted in a green aura as she moved reports so she could better examine them. An idea had come to Chrysalis's mind and Grim was _just _the Changeling that could bring it to life.

Now…about their special guest…

A smile of malicious design spread across the Changeling Queen's face; revealing her fangs as a soft voice spoke through a green amulet hung around her neck. It was a communication link between her and Wisp that she had designed herself to get her reports firsthand. The last one had come from the Haysead Forest outside of Dodge City. A soft green light glowed in the heart of the amulet before it expanded with whispered words of Wisp.

"Your Majesty, he's on the move again." The amulet glowed while Wisp spoke before it grew dark again.

The malicious smile remained on Chrysalis's face as she spoke quietly to the amulet in return. "Excellent. Follow him. There's been some change of plans and we _must _keep our guest in our sight. He is the key to our operation after all." A small chuckle slowly rose to humorless laughter as Wisp terminated the connection.

Everything is going to be _perfect._


	3. Chapter 3: Contact

**-Hello! Here is the third chapter of the series "My Little Pony: A Different World". I'm not sure if anyone even READS this, or cares to, but I've decided to at least see this story through to the end. Please review of what you liked, follow, or feel to give some instructive criticism from author-to-author to help this story to become at least a DECENT read. Your reviews are appreciated if you explain in DETAIL of what you did or did not like about the story (Saying 'This sucks!', 'LAME!', or something like that is a little vague to me) to help me better understand. I'm still unsure of when this story will end, but I will be sure not to rush it or drag it out by the hair. Thank you if you chose to take your time reading ^THIS^ and the rest of the story. Thanks to all those that are willing to Follow this story and to those that give an encouraging review. Thanks again!**

**BV-**

**Chapter 3: Contact**

The night had come on quicker than he realized.

A quick glance up at the sky confirmed it was well into the evening. It was easier to tell the time during the day than it was at night; though the moon would rotate as well. Brandon's eyes narrowed as he watched the stars. Something was…_different _about them. He stood up on his strange beastly legs as he scanned the sky.

There were no constellations he recognized. The Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Orion or his Belt…they weren't there.

A small memory entered his mind for a moment; accompanied by a small stab of pain to his brain. The place he lived had hardly ever had stars in the sky, mostly because of the light in the city had blocked the night sky. It was rare but, the farther you go out, it was possible to see the stars. Maybe the stars were where they were supposed to be and he had spent more time in this unknown than he thought? It would make much more sense if Brandon had his digital watch with him. Funny how such a small gadget could provide such comfort.

The teen shook his head softly, dispersing the thought away. It was time to get moving.

When he had awoken it had almost seemed like there was someone whispering…but he couldn't confirm it. Paranoia gets to someone when they are in an unfamiliar environment and start hearing things.

_Luckily my stomach has stopped it's grumbling_. Brandon noted duly to himself as he climbed a few feet down the tree before jumping the last ten feet down, landing flatly on his feet. He grimaced at the noise his impact had caused when hitting the ground before taking a silent note for later to work on his landings.

Small insects had begun to make noise as he made his way out of the forest towards the tree line. Staring out of the trees, staying in the shadows to keep out of sight, he surveyed the area. After making sure to himself that everyone was inside he stepped quickly, but quietly, out of hiding.

The teen ducked into the shadows of between two buildings as he stared around his surroundings. The town was slightly odd. It was based off the Old West style with square buildings, barrels, and what looked like…apples?

Brandon raised a blue eyebrow in a bit of critical skepticism. Never had he thought that apples were going to be in a place like this, but at least he had something to eat. Then guilt made him grimace.

Stealing was wrong for a lot reasons. But what could he do? It's not like the person that owns the apples would give them to him out of the kindness of their heart. Even if the person was generous…could they see that _he _was not a monster? Just a teenager in a place he's never seen before and in a body he had no clue how he gotten it?

A small sign escaped his lips as he steeled himself. If he can pay for it later…it would no longer be stealing. It's the best he could do.

Brandon's ears perked up, moving his head slowly from side to side to catch any noises before further searching the town by traveling by the shadows. The moonlight made it easier to find his way around but it could also let him be seen. To avoid waking the town and causing a panic he had to become just like the shadow; silent but always there.

A wagon stood in front of one building with a large tarp over it. Maybe there was something he could use?

He stayed on alert as he gently lifted the tarp, using the moonlight to expose what was inside the cart. It was a strange assortment of items. Strange dresses of bright colors, hats, odd boots, and other accessories were neatly stacked in the wagon. A closer look revealed folded blankets of wool and cotton along with rolls of cloth.

It was odd. Many of these items seemed to serve no purpose. Why was that?

The question slipped his mind as he spotted a dark gray blanket before picking it up in his large beastly fingers. It was of finely produced wool. It wouldn't serve the purpose of keeping him warm but he could use it. Placing the large wool blanket on the crook of his arm he continued to silently pick through the items before finding nothing else of use after a few minutes. The teen had been just about to replace the tarp over the wagon before he thought better of it; untying the parts of the tarps strapped down to the wagon before covering himself with it.

It was large enough to circle his broad shoulders while covering his front; leaving his face hidden deep within the shadows of the makeshift hood. Making a few holes, using his claws, right underneath the neck of the opening he tied small strands of the rope, which had held the tarp down, in an 'x' formation to keep it from opening it up. The cloak dragged quite a bit on the dirt but it was unavoidable. People could not be allowed to see any part of his strange new body. It would be suspicious enough that he was wearing a light gray tarp in the middle of the day.

Something next to the wagon had caught Brandon's eye before he could walk away from it. Bending down to the ground he scooped it up; it was an empty saddle bag. This bag was smooth but tough.

_"They must have horses around here. There must be a stall around here to put them away at night." _Brandon thought to himself, carrying the bag within the folds of his new cloak. Taking a horse was out of the question. Stealing a horse is worse than stealing food or clothing. The animal itself would need to eat and he didn't know what else a horse could eat besides grass, hay and grain. It's not like there was much of that in between here and the mountain city. The barrel of apples he had spotted earlier shone with some of the moonlight. Holding the bag with one hand filled one side of the strange saddle bag with ten of the red and green apples; the other keeping the remaining coil of rope and the dark gray blanket.

Once the bag was filled he began to fiddle with it, taking the belt that ran through straps on either bag out. Using what was already there he made a stacker bag backpack, one bag sitting on top of the other. Slinging the makeshift backpack, underneath the cloak, and over his right shoulder made the cloak ride a little higher until it only brushed the ground. Brandon would've been lying to himself if he had thought he didn't look strange how he was now. It couldn't be helped.

He breathed deeply of the night air, taking a step out of the town—

A loud metallic crash had pierced the night

Looking around he discovered what had made the noise; a trashcan had been overturned and the contents had spilled out.

Voices within the building he stood next to could be heard.

"Whose there?" A male voice demanded; making a ruckus as the unknown person came down what sounded like stairs.

Yellow eyes widened in panic before Brandon swiftly ran toward the open land; his cloak flapping behind as he ran.

"STOP! THIEF!" The voice had shouted out at the teen as he ran, the distance growing between him and the town.

Hooves stamped far behind him before he realized that the townspeople had brought out their horses after him.

The teen couldn't let them see him. Not like this…not now.

Brandon lengthened his strides as he ran before the stampeding horses began to fall far behind. After a while he began to slow down; feeling his heart beating wildly in his chest as he tried to slow the rush of adrenaline. Not only had he run faster than he could have with his original body…but he had been fast enough to outrun a _horse. _This body of his…

The monstrous teen glanced at his fur covered hands with the black claws gleaming slightly in the moonlight. It felt…_good…_amazing in fact. His speed, flexibility, and strength have been enhanced dramatically. Whatever had happened to him…it was beginning to show how useful it could be. His path, after turning his head up, was straight ahead; seeing the moonlight catch on the distant mountain city. A railroad he had not noticed before stood a little off to his left.

New plan; he would follow the railroad tracks until he could no longer.

Determination showed in Brandon's steps as he marched forth towards the mountain.

Wisp had been clumsy.

No matter how anypony would put it he was clumsy. Not only had Wisp caused a ruckus but it had taken almost an hour to find his target again. The target had run faster than the ponies had been chasing him by a wide berth before he had disappeared into the distance. Wisp had been following the stranger too closely and had knocked over a trash can in the process.

It was mere chance that Wisp had found him again, making his way toward the Everfree Forest.

Wisp had flown high above his target as he kept a bird's eye view on the surrounding area. The Changeling had noted, with something akin to pity, as the creature hid his form within that improvised cloak of his when he had been shifting through the materials in the wagon. Wisp had almost begun to feel sorry for the creature before reminding himself of his task; keep hidden, report to Queen Chrysalis, and keep the creature from doing something to endanger the plans his Queen had set into motion.

When Wisp had asked about what his Queen was planning she had merely laughed and told him to keep on task.

The Changeling knew that Queen Chrysalis was inside The Hive now; planning something that could possibly change Equestria forever. Nopony knew what went on in that dark, twisted, mind of Chrysalis's. What every Changeling knew, beyond a doubt, that whatever she was planning it was best if the Changeling's kept to themselves.

Queen Chrysalis had only so much patience and compassion for her subjects before her evil nature revealed itself from the darkness.

Luckily for Wisp he kept to himself when he needed to. Asking questions that were not allowed could label a Changeling as being 'too curious' and labels are something that are not looked upon with great taste. If you had skills that would suit the purpose of the Queen then you were given more than you could ever hope for. That was it.

No Changeling was treated specially; all were equal.

May Celestia have pity on the Changeling that fancied themselves better than the rest of Her Majesty's subjects. Soon enough The Hive will correct that Changeling's behavior into an obedient servant of their Queen eventually. Many of those individuals have ceased to make such rebellious advances ever again…the rest…weren't so lucky.

It was mere hours before dawn when Wisp and his target made it to the ruins of an old castle. Wisp decided to keep his distance this time; keeping to the treetops as the creature made his way into the ruins.

_An old ruin? _Brandon squinted to make out the shape. Lichen and moss covered large stone blocks and crumbling archways. Grass poked through the stones set in the ground, a few dandelions and clovers poking through in places. Irregular pieces littered the ground; proof of statues shattered long ago.

The teen thought long and hard on it as he stood there, looking at different parts of the ruins. Brandon began gathering pieces together. His body has been changed into something that only _resembles _a human, there is an Old Western town miles behind him, and there is ruins of Medieval origin crumbling before him. Where could he be?

Where ever Brandon was the information he had wasn't good enough to start guessing where he might be.

Brandon continued forward into the ruins; loose stones scattering as his paw-like feet knocked into them. The sound of clacking stones echoed for a few moments before it grew quiet again. Castles from Medieval times could stand for, from what Brandon could tell, a few centuries before falling. A battle might have been waged for control of this part of the land or it was abandoned.

Traveling further inside the ruins Brandon found a part of the castle that remained mostly intact. Tall walls of crumbling stone extended up until he had to crane his neck back to see it and the night sky. Large pillars held the remaining roof in place while large cracks and ivy dominated it. Broken stained glass windows lined the wall with only bits of the twisted wire frame remaining. A strange statue sat in the middle of the room. Five small stone platforms encircled a pillar of stone with a large stone ball resting on top. The stone ball was covered in thick moss with ivy trailing down from it. What those platforms had held were beyond Brandon's knowledge.

Brandon had begun to wonder what this place had looked like centuries before. Artwork that had been made with glass, stone, and mortar was either destroyed or covered by thick vegetation. He stood in silence for a few moments before walking around the weird statue; heading toward the door when he noticed black marks upon the floor.

_But what's this? _Scorch marks marked places across the floor. Kneeling down to scrape some of the soot off with a claw proved that this had happened pretty recently. Someone had been here before. At least the teenager knew that civilization was probably not far from here…but the marks on the ground still bothered him. An intense heat had left behind residue and the only thing Brandon could think of would be something was being burned in those spots or someone had taken a flamethrower and singed the ground.

To many things to think about and not a whole lot of time.

He stood up once again, stretching his legs to get the blood flowing again, and saw a doorway at the other end of the room. Tall, twisting trees could be seen through the doorway in the distance. Brandon was steadily getting closer to that mountain. He'd gotten far thanks to his new body. The mountain was not visible to him but Brandon knew that by the morning light it would be larger than it had been. At this rate he will be able to get there in less than a week. Restlessness began to eat at his body as he traveled out of the stone doorway and toward the forest. Fog hung heavily between the teen and the forest. Brandon, figuring he should walk carefully, had felt around the ground with his feet to make sure he didn't step into a gopher hole or onto something sharp.

It was a good thing he had.

No more than a few moments of walking and Brandon could feel an empty space with the tips of his toes. His heart leapt into his throat as he instinctively jumped away from the edge. Brandon's heart ran a hundred miles an hour as he stood there; clutching his chest in one hand.

Once his heart rate slowed he ventured carefully to the edge. Kneeling down to reach his hand down and over the edge helped Brandon to visualize the grave mistake he would have made if he hadn't been quick enough.

A quick look around for a way to get across was an obstacle by itself. The fog was thick and it didn't seem to dissipate in the slightest. There were only three things Brandon could do in this situation.

Staying where he was until morning would improve his visibility but that would mean waiting a whole night in unknown territory with only some of the trees, and the ruins, around. If there wasn't a way to get across the gorge then he would have to find another way around. The only trouble of that plan was the lack of knowledge he had of the terrain. The forest could extend for miles around and getting lost in the dark wasn't a luxury he could afford.

The second plan was to create a bridge or other device to help him get across. Two problems with that plan; the fog hadn't cleared enough for him to see across and he didn't know what he could use to make a bridge. There wasn't any rope, even if the gap was about twenty foot across, in his bag that he could use. If he could see it he _may _be able to jump over it to the other side. Of course…he wouldn't trust his legs to make that type of jump. There was no telling how deep the gorge was or what was at the bottom.

Or the teen could sprout wings and fly to the mountain city.

This made the teen chuckle softly at himself. Now _that _would be a sight; a flying blue fur-ball in broad daylight.

_I wonder if I would have bat wings or bird wings? _The chuckle lasted a few more moments before he slid his bag from his shoulder; ruffling through it. His clawed hand closed on a good sized apple before he brought it to the moonlight. Brandon absentmindedly twisted the stem of the apple off before looking back at the forest. Remembering a trick he saw someone on YouTube use he placed his thumbs in the hollow of the apple where the stem had been. Cupping the apple between the large palms with his other fingers curled on the bottom.

With little effort the apple split down the middle, leaving the core and its seeds exposed. The beastly teenager repeated similar processes until he had quarters of the apple placed on his lap. Taking one apple slice he bit the core out of the apple before launching the unwanted bit from his mouth to the gorge before taking a bite out of the slice.

A small memory came to mind as he thoughtfully chewed on the apple slices, once the cores had been removed of course, when something like this had happened before.

A lunchroom full of students with faces cast in shadows and blurs when only portions of the memory were missing. Rows of chattering kids discussing grades, friends, classes, and the latest gossip sat along the black and white speckled benches. He had been holding the schools standard cheap, flat, plastic red tray. There was a spot at one table of gaggling teenagers. When Brandon approached the table had immediately grown quiet. They had stared at him and Brandon had stared back trying to force a friendly smile on his face.

He couldn't remember what their faces had expressed but they had moved suddenly without a word; moving to another table away from him. Brandon had watched before sitting down quietly at the now vacant table before eating his lunch.

This pain was not as piercing as before, meaning that this memory had been repeated times before. What did it mean?

Brandon stopped chewing the apple for a moment when that quiet question nagged at his consciousness. Something had set Brandon apart from the other students. He had a feeling that those students weren't ones he had originally known. An outcast by those students, and probably many others, by something he had no idea of what he had done or what had set him apart from them.

The chewed apple had trouble going down past the lump in his throat.

He had been, from what Brandon could tell, casted out of the social group before he was labeled by Chris as 'strange'.

A sigh escaped Brandon's lips before he finished the rest of the apple in quick bites; rubbing the apple juices he had collected on his fingers onto the grass. Whether the teenager had friends or not in the past was irrelevant now. It was time to move again. Peering intently in the darkness once again he found two dark bumps silhouetted in the moonlight. Walking closer, while watching his footing, he saw that what he had mistaken for bumps were the supporting posts of a rope and plank bridge.

Laying his large blue paw-like hand across the top of the post felt slightly wet and springy. Moss had grown over the top of the aging wooden posts. Continuing to slide his hand down the face of the pole onto the rope he could feel the first of many knots keeping the handrails in place.

It felt tattered in places but was still strong enough to let someone go across…hopefully.

Brandon held tightly to the handrail as he carefully placed his wolf-like foot on one plank before hearing it creak loudly underneath his weight. Before the plank could give way he placed his other foot on another plank to even out the weight distribution. The bridge swayed a little bit, with the ominous creaking planks, before he decided to take his third step. It was slow going at first but gradually became easier.

The warning words in his head of 'Don't look down' was hard to ignore.

Since the fog had cleared just enough so Brandon could see his feet, the plank bridge, and the silhouettes of the trees on the other side it was difficult to know how wide the gap was. Being suspended over a gap of unknown depth was almost as bad as knowing how far someone would have to fall until they went _splat._

In a few minutes he finally felt soil and grass beneath his feet as he reached the end of the bridge. He sighed in relief before digging his wolf-like toes into the earth. The soil was warm on the teen's toes; slightly damp from water that had soaked within it.

After a few more moments of this small pleasure Brandon withdrew his toes from the comforting earth, looking into the dark depths of the forest that stood before him. The sound of insects, frogs, and other small creatures could be faintly heard. There is probably a pond somewhere inside the forest and a _big _pond at that. There was an animal documentary that he used to watch and one episode had been about the simple but diverse life an average pond could hold. Frogs, insects like mosquitoes and the minute gnat, and the occasional salamander or mudpuppy.

There were a lot more but the teen couldn't recall any of them at the moment. Maybe he could make a small stop to look if he found it. That was one big if.

No more than a few steps in the forest and Brandon had introduced himself to a tree with his face, stumbled, and all because he couldn't see anything. The teen had massaged his nose to try and ease the pain; growing frustrated with it all. His yellow cat-like eyes glared into the darkness; peering into blackness to show him what it hid—

And it did.

It was odd. Trees…plants….the ground…_everything _had begun to come into focus. Everything was in differential shades of green and black. There were parts of the forest where it was the deepest of black, shadows where no light existed, and others of a light lime green in spots where moonlight had penetrated to light a few trees.

Looking at his own hands he could see that the fur on his arms was a dark green while his cloak shone bright spring green.

It was like someone had placed a pair of night vision goggles over his eyes and given him light where he had previously not seen.

Somehow he had developed something that cats and dogs could use. His eyes had taken what little light that was in the darkness and multiplied it until he could see everything. If there was even a small amount of light he would be able to see objects in the dark. It was a relief but it also disturbed Brandon. The question that he hoped he had a good answer for would come sometime in the future.

Was he a man or…a _monster_?

The teen forged on his path, following an unseen path through the forest. Time passed slowly as the teen traveled through the crowded trees and brush. There were more rustlings in bushes and soft footsteps where he couldn't see them. Most likely the wildlife were doing their best at keeping their distance while going about their nightly excursions. Eventually his surroundings got brighter and brighter.

A sudden flash of moonlight disrupted Brandon's night vision and made everything blurred and bright. Turning his face away from the light after a few minutes was he then able to see why it had been so bright minutes before. The moonlight had reflected off a river into his line of sight. Thankfully the teen's vision had returned back to that of the normal color spectrum.

Glancing up the river he could see that it snaked far out and around a bend in the river, trees lining the curving river all the way. Down river was no better and it seemed like something rotting was coming from that direction. Taking a few deep sniffs and Brandon had begun to gag; pressing his paw-like hand to his black slit nostrils. It smelled foul as if some plants had begun to rot over time.

Whatever it is the young man refused the notion of traveling either up or downriver. That left only crossing it.

Ideas to _how _he was going to get across made Brandon frown in puzzlement in the darkness of his hood. Jumping that distance was way out of range. It was at least two hundred feet across or more. Walking around it would take too long and he could get backtracked by days. There was no boat or anything he thought he could use to make a raft to get across.

That left only swimming as his means.

Brandon was an average swimmer at best but the current didn't look to be too strong for him to safely get across. Taking his makeshift cloak into the water was a stupid notion. Even if he _could _swim with it, maybe even get to the other side, the cloak would get soaked with water and he would catch hypothermia if it didn't drag him down in the water first. Even with the night as warm as it was now the first thing he had to think of was a way for him to get his belongings across so he could later dry himself off with something. Although…

The teenager slowly slid his arm from underneath the cloak to look at it. If the fur was like some dog breeds it could have insulated fur. Even if the fur was wet he could still keep warm enough to ward off hypothermia and keep his body temperature from dropping too sharply. As long as he could use his own body heat to dry himself off, along with the help of the cloak, he should be alright.

His yellow eyes roamed the area to the forest behind him, the river and the forest ahead of him before he slid his pack off. Next he quickly untied the rope keeping his cloak from falling off; letting it slide to the ground in a heap until he stood in his jean shorts. Getting out of the cloak made him feel exposed but slightly liberated from worrying about eyes condemning his appearance. Here he was alone and he could enjoy himself a few moments before putting his next idea into action.

Brandon knelt down, placing his fingers into the water before withdrawing them to flick droplets of water onto the cloak. He watched closely as the shining drops of water raced down parts of the cloak before they had hit the ground to be soaked up by the soil. The tarp had been treated to withstand against rain and thereby keeping the goods in the cart dry if secured correctly.

The teen made a small grunt of appreciation in his throat before taking the rope from the other compartment of the stacker deck backpack he'd fashioned from the town. With a few quick adjustments to keep the openings of the bag close he placed it on the center of the laid out cloak. Taking the corners of the tarp in his hands he brought them together. Brandon had made his tarp, having been made into a hastily done cloak, into a sack to store his backpack and belongings. The rope was then used to make a tight knot underneath the neck of the makeshift sack and doubled as a handle.

The apples in the backpack gave the sack its weight and, hopefully, would help launch it across the river. He could only guess as to how hard he would have to throw it.

He was not athletic when he was younger and tended to keep away from sports in general. If Brandon missed then his meager supplies and only clothing would be swept downstream toward the foul smell. Not only did the smell deter the young man but also something inside his head screamed not to go there if at all possible.

With a few swings he began the necessary twirling motions to help him launch the sack high and far into the air. When the sack had begun to gain great momentum and the object had begun to make a loud whistling sound as he swung it past his ear he pulled his arm back and threw it as hard as he could.

It was either luck, good aim, or a bit of both that the bag landed on the other side in some bushes.

After letting out his breath he had held when the bag had flown he turned toward the river. Without a second thought he jumped into the water, making a huge splash as he dived down a few feet underneath the water's surface. Since it was a warm night the water was colder underneath the first three inches of warm water. The current tugged at his body trying to carry him downstream but Brandon kicked powerfully with his legs and sliced through the water with his thick arms.

Underwater currents tried to steer him off course a few times as he swam towards the other end of the river. A few times the teen could've sworn he felt something slick underneath his feet and ignored the sensation as he neared the opposite bank. Brandon dug his black claws deep within the ground of the bank; hauling his dripping wet body from the river's grasp. Thick streams of water poured off of his fur into a puddle as he panted. After a few more minutes of gasping he raised his head; looking for the bush his supplies had landed on.

As he had thought the air, though warm, felt colder than it had previously been before entering the river. Luckily the thick fur kept him partially warmer than it would have if he had been in his old body. The cloak would keep him warm for a little while before the leftover water would soak into the backpack and ruin the wool blanket.

Walking away from where he had found the sack, being off to his right by ten feet, Brandon put more distance between him and his pack.

What he was about to do would probably soak the supplies.

Crouching down on his hands and legs, which felt surprisingly comfortable, he looked straight ahead. He closed his yellow eyes and shook his head violently, in a tilting back-forth manner, from side to side. The shock of the crazy head turning made the skin of his neck shake before it traveled down his back to his legs. Loose skin was churned by the shock that went through his body; flicking the water off in all directions.

Just like a dog…how embarrassing.

Most of his blue fur was no longer carrying excess water and the teen deemed it safe to put the cloak back on. Swiping the dirt he collected on his palms against each other he stood back up; quickly walking to the sack. He hurriedly untied the rope binding the sack together before grabbing the backpack out and sliding it onto his shoulder. When Brandon again felt the thick makeshift between his beastly fingers he gave the cloak a quick flick to dislodge loose dirt and leaves before hanging it back on his shoulders.

Heat quickly built up within the cloak as he pulled the hood over his face so his yellow eyes could once again stare out to view the unfamiliar environment.

The night vision once again came to Brandon, once he had concentrated on the darkness within the forest, before looking back at the way he had come. Having come this far in a few days was a great start. If the pace remained unchanged then he should get to the mountain in less than a week. Any problems the teen may experience along the way could probably deter him from his course for a few days.

_Well. As long as I get to the mountain in the span of a few weeks…it'll be fine. _Brandon thought to himself before turning his gaze away from the river and to the forest ahead. The trees here looked more gangly and crooked than the ones he had encountered in the other forest.

Walking quietly and carefully, like he had when he first experienced this night vision, Brandon made his way into the dark forest. The teenager did notice something a little odd about this forest;

Within the darkness the sounds of rustling foliage and breaking branches were loud and drawing closer…as well as glowing eyes.

Night had once again fallen on the Everfree Forest.

The creatures that dwelled within have been stirred from their slumber and now walk the night. There were creatures that prowled, some that stalked, and others that flew. Many things have yet to be brought to light. Stories were passed down from generation to generation by Ponyville's citizens. No pony dared to enter the strange forest unless they wished to brave some of its dangers. The thought of _living _in the forest would make most ponies faint…except for one pony.

Within the forest dwelled a wide tree; made into a home by its inhabitant.

A zebra is a rare and slightly odd, to some ponies, sight to see. Her coat was a light gray with a dark gray and white striped tail, a Mohawk mane, and legs. Another patch of dark gray had formed on her back; like an artist had taken three even curved strokes on either side of the mare's body by using the splotch on her back. Three curved stripes traveled over her jawline and toward the female's turquoise eyes. A swirling dark gray sun was imprinted on her flank with triangular points. Large oval earrings hung from her pointed ears while similar round rings encircled her neck and left foreleg; her name is Zecora.

Everypony knew of Zecora by rumor and reputation. While having an abundant knowledge of herbs and cures for most ailments Zecora, though it took a while, was an excellent addition to the Ponyville community. Being near the Everfree Forest gave Zecora easier access to the ingredients that are asked from her by many ponies. Whether it is a toothache, migraine, infection, or other malady Zecora would most likely have a potion for it.

Some of the plants the zebra gathers have magical properties like the Poison Joke; able to inflict strange ailments by whichever pony touched, smelled or breathed it. A group of ponies, now great friends with the herbalist, had accused Zecora of 'cursing' them while demanding that the zebra remove the 'hex'. After a heated argument, and the arrival of Apple Bloom, things were settled and an important lesson was learned; and a friendship grew. Since then Zecora has been helping the citizens of Ponyville by her medicinal skills. Every now and then the little filly Apple Bloom comes over and helps Zecora gather or mix ingredients. Tonight, as it would be unnecessary to keep the little filly away from Sweet Apple Acre, the zebra had sent Apple Bloom home with a warm farewell.

"Something is not right, the ingredient I need can be found…tonight?" The zebra, after having returned to her tree to make a special potion, tsked softly to herself while rubbing her right hoof to her darkly colored muzzle in thought.

"A flower that absorbs the day, a path of light shall mark your way" Zecora mumbled softly to herself as she paced her home before finally glancing over at her bookcase. Having finally giving in with a small sigh she scanned her herbal books. After finding the book she was looking for, named '_Plants Index_', Zecora patiently hoofed through the thick pages of the book. After many minutes she finally found the plant.

The plant mentioned in the potions recipe is called 'Sun Flower'. Once this plant had been very common around Equestria but now has become harder and harder to come by as the years went by. Sunlight is absorbed into the petals and the excess energy is made into light. At night the flower opens its pedals and lights the night with a bright, yellow glow. Since Zecora wouldn't be able to find the flower as easily in the daylight…

"I must travel by night, before dawn's early light." Zecora muttered to herself; gently nosing the book closed before gently picking it up in her dark muzzle to place it in its rightful place on the shelf. Moving about the room as her thick rings on her neck and leg made a soft _clink-clink _as she gathered the things she would need; a cloak for warmth, a basket to carry the flowers in, and a small candle lamp to light the places she couldn't see. The zebra, after a few moments of locking her home and blowing out a few of the candles, stepped outside of her comfortable home to go even further into the Everfree Forest; in search of the rare flower.

The lamp gave enough light for Zecora to keep from stepping into holes or tripping over exposed roots and branches. Keeping her eyes peeled for the flower and the forests inhabitants she continued to advance deeper and deeper into the forest. Less and less moonlight shone through the twisting canopy before too long.

"_It's a good thing I brought my own source of light. Each step I take seems to limit more and more of my sight." _Zecora thought to herself in her rhyming couplets while holding the handle of the lamp within her mouth. Peering through the dark brown cloak's hood she carefully walked deeper into the forest.

Zecora has lived in this forest for quite a few months but there were still places she had yet explored. It was for good reason that she didn't. Some places were meant to be left alone. And certainly a curious soul would not be warmly welcomed in the lair of a dangerous creature. Many things within the Everfree Forest only wanted to be left alone to continue to live their lives as nature had intended for them.

Fluttershy, a Pegasus pony that was dear to her heart, would ask Zecora for help for likely remedies to various illnesses and wounds. That gentle Pegasus was more than capable of taking care of most of the animals that came to her. Whether it was an animal as small as a mouse to much larger creatures like a bear, though bears tend to keep to themselves, they were in good hooves.

But tonight she had to find those flowers before the night ended and quickly too. It's not safe to wander the forest at night. The creatures of the night, like the ones of the day, had yet to complete their routines.

"Ouch!" Wisp muttered to himself as he once again flew into a branch following his target. It had been like that for a while now. As the Changeling smacked into his tenth branch or so, he had lost count after that, Wisp could afford noise as long as his voice didn't carry.

The sounds of branches being moved or broken happened every other minute. Animals were being hunted or were the hunters themselves. Some of the sounds Wisp heard were far off in the distance or closer to his quarry, while keeping a closer eye on the shadows, the Changeling stealthily stalked his wary adversary.

Wisp and all of the Changeling spies were taught the geography of Equestria by maps acquired from libraries and book shops. Each and every Changeling had been taught the basic survival tactics before going out into the field to gather personal experience. Many hours were drilled into the recruits before they were let loose with their instructions a few weeks later.

Weak Changelings were expendable pieces.

Field work can only take a Changeling so far. Even if the training they had gone through was rigorous it was _useless _to compare it with real life situations. With each sunrise there would always be a new challenge to stand in a Changeling's way; backing them into a corner with no way out. Weakness was not something to be tolerated at any cost. Weakness meant slowing down the other members of the team all vying for the same goal. Then came the choice; help the teammate back on their hooves and complete the mission or leave them.

Compassion was also considered to be weakness.

Abandoning the weaker team members insured the victory, or survival, of the other Changelings. Wisp should know. It was because of the day his teammates abandoned him that he realized something that cold and rainy night; don't depend on anypony.

A small sigh unconsciously escaped Wisp's lips as his thoughts tried to pull him into the past. It was unbecoming of him. Wisp is in the middle of a mission, chasing after a creature not even _from _Equestria, and dwelling on days long past while in a forest filled with beasts. If some other Changeling was in Wisp's place they would have continued to proceed with the mission and keep their minds clear of obstruction. Traveling in dangerous territory with a boggled mind could prove…fatal.

"_Lucky for me my target isn't the _only _thing in this forest to be worrying about." _Wisp thought to himself, once again getting smacked in the face with a branch. Shoving the branch aside roughly with his nose the Changeling continued his noisy tailing until he heard something. The sound had pierced the breaking branches and rustling leaves like thunder.

It was a scream. Somepony had met one of the Everfree Forest's inhabitants.

Wisp turned his head away, having turned in the direction of the noise, to keep his eyes on the stranger. The blue creature had noticed it and was staring in the general direction that the noise came from with interest. The hooded head looked from the path it had been taking to the noise in the forest. This movement was repeated three more times before the stranger's beastly claws clenched the sides of the hood to the head hidden beneath it.

What a strange development indeed.

"_Well stranger? What are you going to do _now?" thought Wisp. Having tilted his darkly colored equine head; training his arctic blue eyes on the cloaked figure. The noises in the forest seemed louder than they were before, almost as if hurrying from the deadly silence.

A sudden movement in the Changeling's peripheral vision put Wisp on edge. Wisp, with a swift movement, instinctively turning sharply and defensively on his precarious perch. The branch groaned threateningly underneath his hooves as Wisp prepared himself for whatever was in the shadows. The Changelings eyes glowed softly as he waited for the potential danger. After many moments nothing had appeared and the leaves were still again. With a derisive snort the Changeling began turning away from the shadows—

Only to have a high pitched screech ring loudly in his ears.

Wisp, being taken by surprise, had missed a step on the branch and fell. Luckily Wisp had landed hard on a particularly dead bush, breaking a good number of branches in his fall. Some of the branches had made cuts along his exoskeleton; nothing serious but potentially serious if they weren't treated. The screech that had surprised Wisp sounded again in the night air; it was a bat.

Wisp glared into the dark as his shame and indignation was let out in a soft growl. The Changeling shook himself of the dead leaves and branches on his back before turning to where he had left his charge—

The stranger, like the bat, had slipped away into the night.

The male Changeling sighed heavily before flapping his tattered beetle-like wings for take-off. It was going to be a _long _night indeed.


	4. Chapter 4: The Cloaked Figure

**-Hello everyone! I'm sorry for taking so long to get back to you with this chapter. I got into a bit of a rut for a few days and couldn't figure out what to do next. This time it's a little longer and focuses on two characters. I'm sorry if there are any misspelled words or anything similarly terrible in this chapter. I hope you enjoy it and please give detailed reviews of what you did/did not like about it, comment, and rate. If you liked it I would be extremely grateful if you showed it to your friends if they would be interested. Thank you so much for your patience and Happy Holidays!**

**Sincerely,**

**BV-**

**Chapter 4: The Cloaked Figure**

Zecora had been walking for a while now; the trees here were growing closer and closer to together as they fought to get the rays from the sun. The night had been dark enough with a waning moon but it was pitch black within the folds of the trees. It was practically silent except for the occasional rustle of tree branches above and Zecora's hoof beats. The zebra's observant eyes could only see about ten feet in either direction with her meager lamp.

"_Oh dear, is it what I fear?" _Zecora thought to herself, noticing no signs of the rare flower or its glow. There was no other flower that the zebra could substitute in her potion. The Sun Flower, from what Zecora knew about it, could substitute the ingredients in most other potions. Its magical properties were known to cure most maladies known to ponykind like fevers, mending bones and similar bodily ailments. _If _Zecora found the flower she could bring back the Sun Flower's bulbs, grow the plants numbers, and help many ponies with it. But sadly…she might have to go home empty hoofed.

Zecora sighed softly through the lamp clenched in her mouth, turning to head back. Out of the corner of her eye she saw it; a soft yellow glow. It was like a small fire had been built but the light didn't flicker or waver…it just…_shone. _"Could it be…? Is it what I think I see?" the zebra softly whispered to herself before moving closer to the light.

As Zecora drew closer the light gradually grew brighter and pierced the darkness. Before she knew it the zebra had found herself in a small clearing. And in the clearing—

"It _is _the Sun Flower! Full of magical power!" Zecora exclaimed excitedly; looking on the scene in amazement. It was a small clearing but there was more than enough of the precious flower to make her potion. Enough to cure many ailments and an abundance of bulbs Zecora can plant across Equestria. The flower was beautiful in itself.

A bright orange color tipped the ends of tapered petals on the inside and outside. A pure white surrounded the center of the plant with the yellow insides of the flower open for the bugs and other animals to help pollinate it during the night. The entire plant glowed and not just the petals. Its stem also glowed but it was more minute and hard to spot until Zecora bent down and examined one. Oddly it seemed like the Sun Flower had no definite smell to attract pollinators.

"The first color is that of the leaves when they fall at a trees bottom, you can find them in autumn. And the other color is the brightest of bright, so it must be white?" Zecora muttered to herself; confused about the flower.

There had only been a picture of the flower in the _Plant Index. _The colors were not available in the ink sketching but the way the flower in the book and the flower Zecora saw before her were identical in every way. Now there was only to carry a few of the flowers for the potions, a few more to raise their numbers, and at least one for Twilight Sparkle to study. That young Unicorn would surely want to study a piece of Equestrian history. With a small chuckle Zecora went to work. The zebra gingerly dug around the flowers on the edge of the glowing meadow, exposing the sprouted and budding bulbs underneath.

Soon the saddle bag Zecora carried housed ten of the flowers along with a few starter bulbs to grow in her garden and at the castle in Canterlot. Zecora wiped a foreleg across her sweaty brow before reaching for her lamp; having accomplished an important task. The zebra smiled tiredly to herself as she felt fatigue from previous chores begin to seep in. Picking the lamp up in her mouth, while suppressing a yawn, Zecora turned to the path for ho—

Then she stopped in her tracks.

Standing just on the outside of the glow of the flowers in the depths of the darkness…was a pair of glowinggreen _eyes_. They had no pupils but Zecora knew they were eyes when the lights disappeared in the dark for a split second. Zecora was deeply unsettled by those emotionless eyes. There was no telling what those eyes were thinking…but Zecora wouldn't want to know.

The lamp within her mouth trembled as her body shook involuntarily at the eye's presence.

"_Come Zecora my dear, show it that you _don't _fear!" _A voice within her mind commanded her. This snapped the zebra from her trembling and mentally began pushing down her rising fear. Zecora stared at the eyes, setting down her lamp at her feet, taking a fighting stance with her hoof pawing at the ground.

"Come _forth_ thing of the dark, _my _bite is far worse than my bark!" Zecora challenged the thing within the shadows by stomping down her left hoof, making her leg rings clink together. She kept her head close to the lamp; prepared to pick it up at a moment's notice.

For a few good minutes the eyes just stared; unblinkingly watching the zebra with interest. Zecora stared back at the eyes, unwilling to submit defeat by looking away.

Finally the creature deemed to reveal itself, the glowing eyes getting larger—

Zecora flinched but did not look away; it was a Timber Wolf.

With a body of sticks, branches and sharp stakes for teeth, the Timber Wolf is one of the top predators in the Everfree Forest known to the Ponyville population. Every other step the Timber Wolf's body creaked; its wooden body parts moving against each other at the joints as it moved closer to the zebra.

The origins of the Timber Wolf are unknown but they seem to be reclusive. It was rare to ever see or hear of one until it was Zap-Apple season. The telltale howl of the Timber Wolf would announce the beginning of the Zap-Apple season. Timber Wolves tended to live in packs in the Everfree Forest rather than traveling alone. Which raised the question…

"I seem to have counted only one of you, aren't there more than two?" Zecora ventured to ask; not expecting a response from the magical creature as she kept her eyes on it. The thing had begun to circle her as she came to realize something.

It was an ambush.

No sooner had Zecora deduced this that there was a trampling of feet behind her and off to her left. The mare, after swinging her head around, aimed and kicked hard behind her. Her hoof connected to something hard and a loud _crack _echoed across the clearing as the Timber Wolf's wooden jawbone splintered. Zecora kicked again at the Timber Wolf on her left and connected to its hollow chest; sending it flying a few feet after its pounce failed.

The first Timber Wolf advanced threateningly toward the zebra, baring its sharp wooden teeth. It had begun to launch itself at her before Zecora narrowly avoided it at the last second. Zecora, wasting no time, ran past the leaping Timber Wolf and dashed into the Everfree Forest.

Trees and branches whipped Zecora across her face and chest, making her eyes water with how much it stung. She dared not look back as she ran; knowing the Timber Wolves would not give up so easily. The prediction was proven true when the sound of bodies crashing through bushes and foliage was heard not so far behind the zebra. She ran for all she was worth; watching the trees from off to the sides for Timber Wolves and a way home. Zecora could not see where she was going and tripped on something hard and sturdy within the darkness.

Zecora, dazed, tried to find her footing—

A Timber Wolf pounced on her, feeling it reaching for her throat with its jagged wooden teeth. Its clawed feet stood heavily on her as she struggled; trying desperately to free herself from the Timber Wolf.

Emotions quickly surged through Zecora's mind then; fear, anger…and a fierce will to survive.

With a deep, throaty, scream borne of these feelings Zecora pushed with all her might. The creature yelped as it was pushed back and into a tree with enough force to shake it. Zecora stood up quickly and ran once again; searching rapidly for a way out of the forest as her shredded cloak whipped in the wind. Safety was finally revealed to her in the pale moonlight;

A cave carved into the face of large cliff.

Zecora raced to the hole, quickly climbing over some boulders in her way to the dark opening. The opening wasn't very large but it was just large enough for Zecora to squeeze into and lay down inside the passage. It was just in time as well. No sooner had the zebra gotten through had the snarls and growls of the Timber Wolves sounded through the opening. Zecora tried to catch her breath as they continued growling at the entrance before another sound caught her attention.

Something was _scraping _against the stone.

"Clever creatures of the hunt, you're not going to get through; sorry to be blunt." Zecora said over the scraping and growling; slightly worried.

The cave didn't seem to be made entirely of stone, noticing that dirt covered the floor around the only exit. If the Timber Wolves dug around there…they could get through in time.

Zecora, grunting with effort, got back onto her hooves again. There was very little light in the cave. Practically none to see by having dropped her lamp somewhere along the way in that mad run for her life. The saddlebag with her precious cargo had also been emptied of the bulbs and sprouted flowers. Zecora would be lucky to get back with her _life _at this rate…and even that hope seemed to be slowly fading as she felt around the back of the cave.

There was no exit and nowhere else to run

The black striped potion maker closed her turquoise eyes; pressing her head to the cool wall of the cave as the Timber Wolves dug out her only sanctuary. She could hear the earth being torn away by their wooden claws before they quickened their digging, knowing that the zebra inside was almost within reach.

Images flashed within Zecora's mind, taking her back into the past to the experiences over the last couple of months with her friends. Their first encounter with her…the bonds of friendship they forged between themselves…the laughs they shared…and those yet to come.

She whispered in her Native Tongue; thanking her relatives for all they had done for her and wishing them farewell.

A small, sad, smile lifted the corners of Zecora's mouth as she opened her eyes. Images of her time she had spent with Applejack, Twilight, Apple Bloom, and the rest flashed in her mind. There were many good times she shared with those ponies and _never _a dull moment to be found.

"My dear friends, I have made my amends." Zecora whispered, feeling a tear run down her face to drop on the stone floor. Staring defiantly at a Timber Wolf scrambling to get through the hole she took her final stance; rearing up on her hind legs.

"Come within, and let our final fight…begin!" Zecora shouted while waving her hooves threateningly above the ground as the Timber Wolf broke through and ran at her. Its claws scraped against the stone as it ran, the glowing green eyes streaks of light in the darkness. Her hooves came crashing down as the eyes neared—

But she had missed her target.

In the span of a dozen fluttering heartbeats Zecora was struck down; her head landing on the hard stone floor. The impact caused her eyes to waver out of focus as the Timber Wolf stood triumphantly above her with its paws securing her to the ground. Zecora, pinned on her side as her consciousness began to fade, could faintly see the dim outline of the magical creature as it lowered its wooden head toward the exposed part of her throat. It's warm, poignant breath, rolled into Zecora's nostrils. A sickly sweet smell of dried blood and Zecora felt the deadly teeth of the thing brushing her throat—

Then she felt nothing.

No teeth…no claws…just…_nothing. _

She opened her eyes to find that the Timber Wolf had vanished. Then the zebra heard something. It sounded like the Timber Wolves were fighting amongst themselves…or were they? Growls, snarls, and the sharp cracks of a solid object breaking wood.

Something was out there…and it wasn't a Timber Wolf.

Zecora tried to stand on her hooves only to find they didn't want to move in the way she had wanted. Her vision threatened her ability to perceive the environment; making it spin crazily around her. The zebra grunted softly and tightly closed her eyes for a few moments before daring to open them again. When she did the room had stilled again.

And so had the sounds outside the cave. The nocturnal wildlife had begun its nightly chorus of noises.

Zecora, after quite some time had passed before forcing her fatigued body to move, gingerly walked to the cave's widened entrance to better understand what had transpired outside barely an hour ago. Everything seemed as it should have been. There was nothing noticeable of what had possibly been happening at the time. Just the grass, the trees, the moon and—

A figure. It was a tall…_dark_ silhouette in the pale blue glow of the moon.

Fear struck Zecora's heart a second time that night. It didn't matter if her vision was playing tricks on her this time. Whoever or… _whatever _it was…it wasn't a pony. Zecora was certain of that.

There was something large and still at the figure's feet. Only when Zecora examined it did she see what it was; a Timber Wolf. The Timber Wolf, its eyes vacant of that eerie green glow, did not move. Something glimmered on the ground around the figure's feet and around the Timber Wolf.

Blood. Blood was pooling around the corpse of the magical creature…and the figure was standing there…_watching _it…

A loud drumming sound barraged the zebra's ears as she watched the…_thing…_finding it hard to breath with fear sinking its claws into her heart. Then the figure moved slightly; turning its body to look to the side. The soft blue light of the moon gave way to another discovery; there was a black hole where its face should have been.

It was wearing a large cloak.

So many questions swarmed through the zebra's head. But all of those many questions about where it had come from, who it was, and why it was here just stayed stuck in Zecora's throat. It could be dangerous and would kill her as it had with the Timber Wolf at its feet.

But what if it didn't?

Voices screamed in her head not to and warned her to move away. Other, calmer voices, urged her to call out. The zebra, with these conflicting feelings, finally made up her mind with a firm shake of her head. Zecora softly cleared her throat before softly calling out. "Please stranger, you who saved me from danger. I say this without shame; please…what is your name?" With bated breath, after seeing the figure move its head slightly hearing her voice, Zecora waited for the stranger to respond.

It did…but not the way the zebra had expected.

For many fluttering heartbeats the stranger did not move an inch from where it stood; very much like a statue in the middle of the small clearing. Finally, with deliberate slowness, the stranger turned to face her head on. In the few short moments that it took the stranger to turn around, it had felt like much more time had passed to Zecora's frantically beating heart. Filled with a mixture of fear, anxiety and curiosity she looked at the stranger's face.

Within the inky blackness of the hood a pair of faintly glowing eyes stared back; watching her as it had with the corpse.

_What am I doing? _Brandon had thought to himself as he raced through the woods; doing all he could to find whoever had screamed. That question came again and again as his wolf-like feet ran across uneven ground of roots, moss and dirt into a part of the forest where the trees grew close together to create their own night. Here the forest carried a…_hostile_…atmosphere as if the very trees were openly displaying their evil intentions.

Why was he doing this? What would he gain from it?

Nothing. Brandon would gain nothing at the price of his own safety for someone that he didn't know…and may never see alive. Running into a forest where someone had screamed and meeting whoever or…_whatever_…was there.

"You could turn back. It's not your problem." A voice whispered seductively in the back of his mind; speaking over the questions and other thoughts he had.

When the teen heard it he had involuntarily stopped in his tracks before looking around to see who had spoken; feeling a chill run up his spine. The voice had a whispery quality as if it were a lover muttering sweet nothings to its partner. It was a voice that could slither underneath someone's skin if it had been allowed to. It sounded familiar, but he could not place _where _he had heard it before…

Only when the teen examined the close nit trees around him, and staring hard into the shadows of the tree canopy, Brandon was able to realize that the voice had come from his own _mind. _The beastly teen shook his head from side to side to be rid of the strange feeling of the voice and ran toward a light up ahead of him; showing through a break in the trees.

"Ignoring me huh? That's pretty rude you know." The voice said; slithering back into Brandon's thoughts once again. "Especially since it's been a while since we last had a conversation." It had said; giving a disappointed sigh a parent would give to a child when they didn't live up to expectations.

_Not to be rude but I don't feel this is an appropriate time. But it is interesting how I don't have _any _recollection of you. And probably for good reason too. _Brandon thought the retort back to the voice; having reached the end of the tree-line to see a meadow of glowing orange and white flowers. The flowers had multiple pedals surrounding the center like most flowers but the pattern in which the color was arranged, and how each pedal tapered into a point, was unfamiliar to him. He examined the meadow and saw something on the ground a little off to his left towards a trampled bush; its branches broken to expose the growing age rings inside.

"Now that hurt my feelings. To think you could forget about ME!" Feigning a sad tone; leaving the presence of his mind with a low chuckle at its own conceded humor. "I'll be around kid. Let's talk again sometime." It continued before leaving his conscious mind free of its presence.

_I wouldn't count on it. _Brandon thought bitterly to himself before he bent down and looked at the dirt; seeing deep furrows where something had dug into the soil. There was another one with a more definite clue; it was a footprint. It didn't take the teen long to figure out that what was, or is, chasing the person he's looking for. The teen found a patch of mud next to the print and pressed his foot down to leave a good mark in the wet earth. Pulling his foot from it, once satisfied with it, he bent down again to compare.

The average domestic dog has pads that are rounder in appearance to its wild cousin the wolf whose pads, having seen a picture of a wolf's footprint and dogs somewhere, are broader and larger altogether. Brandon had noticed that these tracks had only three toes and the pad itself was strange; it was perfectly round. It would be easier to think that the animal was just missing a toe but the middle of the three toes was aligned _exactly _with the pad. Something very strange was going on.

_But what is going on?_ Brandon thought to himself as tree branches whipped his broad blue chest as he ran; feeling the wind whistle loudly on either side of his hood. The trees had begun to grow apart a little bit as he came to another break in the tree-line. Brandon peered from the shadows into a clearing—

The blood in his heart froze in despair. What Brandon saw wasn't what he had expected…nor believed.

Seven large creatures stood in front of an opening on the side of cliff; taking turning digging at it. Each had a pair of glowing, merciless, green eyes that lacked pupils. Each creature appeared to be made of differencing pieces of wood and…they were _moving_. Brandon's mind couldn't grip the situation in front of him.

Nothing was making any sense anymore. Was he losing his mind?

Blinking his yellow eyes didn't work. The creatures were still there; still digging away at the hole with thick claws of wood. Every so often he heard wood rubbing against wood as they dug or switched with each other. Each creature had a set of sticks for ears with leaves for eyebrows, a couple of sticks sticking up from their backs, and a row of sharp sticks lined their top and bottom jaw of their lipless mouths.

Questions began piling up in his mind as he watched the creatures dig at the hole with their wooden claws; trying to make sense of the situation. Brandon pushed the questions away to the back of his mind to focus.

There would be plenty of time left to ask questions later. Whoever was inside might be able to explain where Brandon was…once he figured out a way to strike up a conversation that is. It's not every day that a blue furry monster asked someone directions.

Right now the important thing is to analyze a plan of action.

Trees lined the clearing but there seemed to be no more of those…_things _around, besides the ones at the hole, after failing to spot any eyes or hulking wooden bodies. These creatures acted very much like wolves and hunted in packs. It's possible that there are more of them hiding somewhere in the forest; keeping an eye on things from a distance until a signal was exchanged.

Brandon folded his thick arms against his chest as he looked around him and then at the creatures at the hole. The limits on his beastly body were still unknown to him and if the creatures acted like wolves then they can be just as quick and agile as their counterpart. It's possible that he could take them on… but it would have been preferable if they came one at a time.

Like there was a chance of _that _going to happen. The creatures, from what the teen could tell, were focused entirely on the hole and wouldn't notice him until he got close enough.

_At least the person had made it to a temporary safety_…Brandon thought with respect. If the hole had gone through the cliff and to a back entrance then the creatures would have probably given up if they figured their prey got away. But it looks like they are still trapped and it doesn't seem like the creatures were going to give up their potential meal any time soon.

"Well…it's now or never." Brandon muttered; finding a couple of cherry and kiwi sized rocks after removing his cloak to hang on a branch. Wearing the cloak would have slowed him down but it would have also taken the brunt of whatever came at him.

Now the easy part…

They had already begun digging more franticly as the beastly teen got closer; glaring at the backs of the creatures with his yellow eyes.

Now!

Brandon hurled the stones one by one in quick succession at the wooden monsters. A few of the stones hit their mark. One struck the rump of one towards the middle with an apple sized stone, another had made a sharp _thwack _at the back of the head of a monster on the left, and the last two stones clattered against the cliff wall.

Three of the creatures had turned to look back at the blue stranger before breaking away from the hole. Growls and snarls resounded within their throats as they drew closer; hearing their bodies creak as they made their way toward him. It was then that Brandon noticed these looked _very _similar to wolves in body shape, but they were about the size of a large dog. The top of the 'wolves' heads reached just below the waistline with the sticks that acted as their ears adding an additional foot or so.

What was he supposed to do now?

The wooden wolves steadily got closer to the teen when a problem had become apparent; Brandon didn't know how to fight.

Brandon, hearing his heart beating loudly in his pointed ears, calmly breathed in letting his body relax. The air was rich with the smell of trees, flowers, and churned earth. There was another smell in the air; it was slight and sickly sweet. A smell so familiar and he could practically _taste _something metallic in the air.

Blood. The wolves reeked of blood.

Something had clicked in his memory about this smell and his hands…his _hands…_felt dirty. It had the same feeling a person would have if they forgotten to wash grime after working with a substance that refused to come off.

Why was it like that?

His fists clenched involuntarily; bringing him back from his contemplating just in time to see that the wolves had begun closing in a box formation with him in the middle of it all. The tips of his ears switched to and fro as it picked up the advancing wolves before laying them flat against his skull. Brandon, without thinking about it, instinctually lifted up his lips to reveal his canine fangs. A low growl reverberated in his throat as his cat-like yellow eyes darted from one wolf to another. It felt…_right _somehow, almost natural.

That did it.

He heard a snarl was toward left side with the accompanied sound of something heavy striking the soft earth. With a quick step to the side he avoided a near bite to his arm as the head sailed past him. The air it disturbed when the wolf jumped whisked its odor past him; making his sensitive nose cringle at the revolting smell. The teen turned about quickly and struck out with a right hook.

_Crack._ Wood gave way underneath the punch of the creatures wooden ribcage; causing a few of its artificial rib bones to fracture under the blow. The momentum of his fist had caused the creature to land a few feet in the direction of his punch. With a glance Brandon knew that it had not been a complete break, but damage he inflicted would at least stun the creature. Shadows made it hard to tell if the ribcage had caved in where his fist had landed but it didn't matter. No sooner had a yelp issued from the thing's mouth, after landing on the ground, that the other wolf took the opportunity that left the teen wide open.

Another wolf struck out from behind him on his right; coming in at a quick dash. The wolf, aiming for his left leg to bring him down, growled in its animalistic way within moments of latching onto his leg. Its spike ridden mouth had begun to close on his le—

Then he was skyward. Glowing green eyes stared, in what appeared to be, _shock _at him_. _

In the split moment that could have cost him a leg, probably his life as well, Brandon had jumped higher than what he had previously thought possible. The power behind his leg strength could be used in terms of speed _and _combat abilities. A brief smile turned the corners of the teen's wolf-like mouth before he landed back on the ground again on all fours.

Now all there is to do is test the new discovery.

The wolf that had tried to bite his leg had turned around when he landed behind it. The blue teen lurched forward and pushed his wolf-like feet towards the ground and at the creature; catching its head between the crooks of his arm as it tried to bite him. It struggled fiercely in the headlock, tugging its head, digging its feet into the soil for traction.

His arm, with the wooden head pieces dragging across it, was covered in bits of dirt and splinters.

It had been a bad move obviously.

With only his left arm free, and his legs set into a firm crouch, it left him vulnerable. Even if he let go now it would be foolish. The creature would have a chance to bite down on his ribs before he could even get away from it. Even if he did beat them, save the person inside and attain valuable knowledge, it would be for nothing. By the time he had heard what he needed to know his lungs or other vital organs would have been pierced, suffer mass internal bleeding, and die without the proper care a doctor with surgical expertise could bring.

A life would be saved…but another would be lost. It would be a wasted effort to only get so far to only die to probably feed more of these wooden abominations.

Not an option. They'll _both, _him and the other person, live through this.

One thing was for certain; they seemed to feel painlike most _living_ creatures.

With a grunt the teen began applying pressure around the wolf's head; squeezing it's neck in between the crook of his elbow. The creature had begun snarling and growling as Brandon continued to apply pressure. Within moments the snarls and growls grew quieter before it struggled more frantically as it fought for air. Wooden claws desperately tore at the ground as the creatures noises had quieted to a low gurgle.

It took too long.

Another creature had leaped at Brandon with outstretched claws; its wooden jaw opened wide to show off its spiked teeth. The wolf Brandon held had slowed it's movements but not entirely. Brandon, falling down against the ground with the wolf still in his suffocating headlock, held its companion at arm's length to keep it's snapping jaws from his throat. The attacker was relentless and pushed harder against the teen's hand; getting steadily closer.

With desperation Brandon had used his foot to push the wolf off of him along with his hand—

Only to find the wolf had retreated. The sudden reversal of direction had taken Brandon by surprise…and he paid the price.

Wooden teeth punctured the thigh of his right leg.

Brandon cried out in pain as the creature chewed his flesh as it bit down. A growl escaped his throat before gritting his teeth against the pain; giving one final squeeze to the now limp creature he held. Using his hands he tried to pry the creature's mouth open but it would not budge. The wolf, as if sensing victory, began shaking its head furiously back and forth.

The motion had begun grinding the wooden fangs against the bone of his thigh; magnifying the pain. Like a dull knife scraping against his bone instead of wooden teeth more blood spilled from the thrashing things mouth. Two of the wolves had broken from their digging, whether it was his painful cries or the smell of blood that attracted them, leaving one digging with four onlookers.

"Let-me-GO!" Brandon muttered under his breath; each powerful punch emphasizing his words. But it still latched on and each second the pain grew worse as its stubbornness ruled out the injuries being made on its body.

Using his will he ignored the pain and the anger and panic that came with it. Raising his fists up high he interlocked his blue fingers; curling them together to form a ball. Using the momentum of the height and gravity he brought the mace-like ball down with mighty force on the spine.

A sickening _snap _echoed through the clearing. For a few moments everything had stood still…then Brandon pried the wooden wolf's mouth from his leg and let it crumple to the ground.

It was dead. The glow in its eyes had gone out…and green blood had begun to puddle around the body. The four gathered wolves had stood in complete silence as they watched the teen and their fallen companion.

"Finally, you've spilt some blood." A familiar voice whispered from the dark depths of his mind. Brandon could picture a small, black, featureless doll gesturing towards the other creatures. "What about those other ones? You have the power you know. Want me to tell—"

_Shut up_… Brandon thought the warning to the Voice. Unknowingly standing back on his feet; making the remaining creatures back up uncertainly. The claws that had remained retracted had once again grown to show their black shiny surface in the moonlight.

_I don't need your help. _

And he didn't. Why would he need to be told advice from something he knew nothing about? From all the strange things he had experienced; the transformation of his body, broken memories, missing familiar constellations, glowing flowers, and these creatures. That's when Brandon had begun to understand something at that moment.

He hated _all_ of it; not knowing who he really was…where he was…or why he was here. The idea of not knowing made it infuriating. Out of everything that happened he didn't need these…_monsters_… around causing him pain and anger.

What he wanted most now were these wooden abominations to disappear…_forever._

The creatures had begun to yelp, snarl and growl loudly, making Brandon's brow furrow under the moonlight. Something strange had begun to fill his body making it feel…light. In anger he closed his eyes and took the pleasure of imagining their end; seeing in his mind's eyetheir bodies breaking apart like ashes in the wind—

Then silence reigned. Not only had they gone quiet…but the smell of old blood was gone as well. Only the smell of his and the creature he had slain had remained. Brandon's yellow eyes slowly opened to a clearing absent of the creatures. The teen, glancing around him in dumbfounded confusion, scanned around him and found nothing. Not even the wolf digging at the cave entrance was there anymore.

What the hell was going on?

Pain suddenly lanced up his right leg before something warm and wet ran down it; making Brandon look down it in concern. The wounds were deep and numerous. An outline of teeth was visible and pumping fresh blood to glitter in the moonlight.

At this rate he would surely bleed to death.

Brandon, grimacing in pain with the effort, hobbled toward the bag and cloak he had hung up on some branches. The wool blanket was very large so he could spare to ruin it a little bit. Tearing the fabric, as easily as tearing a piece of paper, he took a piece of the blanket about the length of his arm and two times his hand length before sitting down on a stump.

Now he needed something to keep the temporary bandage on.

A young but strong looking vine appealed to the teenager. The vine came off the tree with a quick and powerful yank. Pulling the ends of the vine in opposite directions held the stress. It may not be indestructible or practical but it was the best he could do with what he had. Touching the entry of the marks were still tender, foolishly touching it with his finger-tips, making him grunt in pain.

Breathing deeply, placing the piece of the folded blanket over the wound, Brandon gingerly wrapped the vine first around the underside of his thigh before laying the two ends on top of his lap. He took the two ends and looped them over each other; reluctant to continue doing what had to be done. Brandon spied a large thick stick near the bushes and reached for it; holding it in between his teeth before putting the two ends of the vine back together. The yellow cat eyes closed tightly as the two ends of the vine tightened down on top of the make shift bandage.

The stick was pierced by the thick sharp canine teeth; splintering in his mouth from the pain. Breathing heavily the teenager finished tightening the vine before he tied it into to place.

The pain had been terrible…but it had stopped the bleeding.

Splinters were spat out of the teen's mouth after removing the stick; standing up to test his handy work. There was nothing to be done about the pain, having no idea what plants could be used for medical purposes, which only left the most crude of methods. He donned the cloak again before walking back out into the clearing; his pack on the stump.

All of the creatures had vanished…except the one he had killed.

Brandon found himself standing before it; staring down at the wooden corpse. The wood that acted as the things spine had broken in half under the force and collapsing on itself. Green blood still oozed from the injuries inflicted on its ribs to join the puddle upon the ground. Pupil-less eyes stared up at the night sky without truly seeing it.

It didn't make sense.

Guilt welled up within Brandon as he known it would. Every creature had to survive however it could and that also meant preying on others. He didn't regret killing the creature to he himself could live. _That _hadn't been for pleasure…not at first.

But why had the disappearance of the other creatures made him feel ecstatic?

Something had happened to them when he had felt that strange…_sensation_ before they disappeared. Remembering the anger the…_fury…_of seeing them stand there made it impossible to feel anything else. Just the _thought _of them existing made the teenager's blood boil.

"Isn't that what you wanted? Don't you want everything to just '_go away' and leave you alone?" _ Voice asked from the darkness of his mind. It had crept in on his private thoughts; perverting them with its unsettling touch.

"Shut up!" The teens words came out in a harsh whisper; tightening his fists in frustration. There was something behind those words. Something…_familiar _in the way it had spoken it_. _Something told Brandon that whatever had happened to him then Voice probably knew _why. _

But he couldn't trust it. No matter how much he wanted answers he couldn't trust that the voice wasn't something from his own imagination; a probable sign of insanity. It would only say what Brandon would possibly want to hear.

Taking three deep breaths, breathing deeply of the night air, Brandon calmed himself. He soaked into the now peaceful quiet of the clearing; letting the fury, frustration, and bloodlust ebb away with it as his hands slowly unclenched themselves. There were even more questions than before and, hopefully, the person that was in the cave was still alive.

"Please stranger, you who saved me from danger. I say this without shame; please…what is your name?" A low but feminine voice called out from behind him; breaking Brandon from thoughts.

What was he to do?

Words struggled in his throat as he thought of what to say. He had both dreaded and wished for this moment but he still couldn't answer the unknown girl. Brandon, if it hadn't been difficult enough trying to make friends in his old life, couldn't find the courage to answer her…but he would at least do _something _a decent guy would do.

Minutes had gone by before Brandon finally began turning around; favoring his right leg. He had tried to turn around unthreateningly but he shouldn't have bothered.

Standing outside of the cave entrance, where he expected to see a human, there stood a sight that was so bizarre that Brandon blinked twice in shock. Whether it was the hunger in his stomach, the pain from his leg, or a mental break down, the teenager didn't know.

It was a zebra. Brandon could tell it was from the identifiable white coat with black stripes. Not just any plain zebra; this one was wearing a _cloak. _

Brandon could only stare at it. Something as unnatural as he was is standing dozens of yards before him and, all he could think of, the thought of _why_ it was in this place kept him from understanding anything else_. _Unless there was a zoo close by, and Brandon was sure there wasn't, this zebra was a long way from home.

_Maybe she's inside and her pet zebra came out first? _Brandon questioned himself as he stared hard at it; trying to figure out what he should do.

"Are you alright friend, do you have wounds that need to mend?" The female voice spoke again sounding from where the zebra stood; sounded like she was trembling. It looked like it was staring _back _at him as the voice had come. This stare had something…_intelligent…_behind it. Then Brandon had begun to understand; the voice had come from the _zebra. _

This was too much.

Animals shouldn't talk…they _couldn't _talk. They had no vocal cords to pronounce even simple words. People had recorded their animals and claimed that their dog or cat had said a common word like 'no' or something similar. African Gray Parrots were reported to be the only bird in the world to have the biggest category of words as well as being one of the smartest breeds of parrots able to solve difficult tasks such as puzzles. Of course all parrots _mimicked _any sounds they heard and stored them for later use.

But this zebra had talked…and in _rhymes. _

_This can't be happening… _Brandon thought in disbelief slowly turning to shock; taking one step backwards towards the forest and into the blood. He moved away from the corpse and its alien blood. The sensation the blood left made Brandon feel like he was dirty; taking the time to wipe it on the grass as he backed away from the strange clearing.

She, the zebra, had noticed him back away and stepped forward lifting her left hoof toward him. "Wait there is no need to be afraid, I offer aid!" She, gingerly making her way down and toward his cloaked frame, called out despairingly as he retreated even further from her; entering the darkness of the forest.

He hid. Ashamed of his body and alarmed by this strange creature…he had run like a coward.

Brandon made his way as fast as possible; his injury inhibiting his speed and reaction time. Galloping had sounded behind him as he ran toward the depths of the forest. Blood had begun running down his leg when he stopped to catch his breath; placing his back against the trunk of one tree. Breathing had become difficult for him with his focus going blurry. The sound of hooves striking hard ground came from a distance; coming from where he had left the zebra.

Tensing for a run, when the galloping got closer, he stood up from his crouched position.

The galloping stopped with the sound of something hitting the earth and the sound of air being a feminine _oof. _ Peering around the tree he had found out why; being hunted down by those things had been too much stress on her body. Running after him had finally pushed her body past its limits before giving up on her.

Why had she pursued him? She would have gained nothing from it…except fear and disgust at his wretched form.

_Either way…I'm no better than those monsters that chased her. _Brandon thought to himself with resolve. He stood up from his crouched position with a small grunt as more blood flowed down his leg; feeling it slide down and off his foot. The bag he had, though it had little supplies, was still important. Soon the makeshift bandage on his leg would have to be changed with all the blood soaking it.

Reasoning and logical thinking had been all that had allowed Brandon a brief respite from this strange place. Those wooden wolves and this talking zebra were just something his logical mind could not explain to him. The teenager knew that such things could not exist in his world.

Or was this place even Earth?

Those wooden creatures…the talking zebra…the foreign constellations…and the strange clothing were things his rational mind could not explain. Though the wooden wolves bled like any _living _creature…they were not made of flesh and bone… but _plant fibers_.

His sensitive wolf-like ears picked up the zebra's heavy breathing before he dared to walk back to the clearing. The beastly teenager kept to the shadows and far from the zebra lying in the path. Carefully he treaded through the forest and toward the clearing; seeing the backpack softly illuminated in the moonlight. Rough cloth slid over his furry shoulder underneath his cloak before he turned around—

Only to hear the zebra call out again from within the forest.

"Please…don't go,…my…Cloaked…Fell…ow…" Her voice trailed off before it became silent. Only the sound of the insects, and his own breathing, were the only things he could hear.

_Please. _Brandon mulled the word in his mind. A word that could be said so casually and also so demanding. It was a word that struck something within him. A memory perhaps or was it the way she had said it that made it different?

Moving back into the forest he found the zebra where she had fallen. Crouching down confirmed that she was still alive and only sleeping.

Was it safe? Would it be safe to leave her here and let her think of what happened tonight was all a bad dream?

His logic told him that he owed the talking animal _nothing _after saving it and should just leave it. The zebra was out of the danger she was in. Brandon had done what he had set out to do and saved her. There wasn't anything holding him responsible for her.

But why was he so hesitant?

His yellow cat-like eyes stared at the zebra's sleeping form. The markings, that he could see, were like that of a zebra. She wore golden rings around her equine-like neck with another set of rings on her left foreleg. There were oval earrings clipped to the lobes of her short, pointed, equine ears. The style of jewelry was familiar to him but not the name of the neck rings. When his eyes traveled up from the neck rings—

The expression on her face…it looked so peaceful.

Sleep had temporarily taken the zebra away from this place of pain and fear until she woke up. The poor creature had been through hell running from those horrors and finally meeting another. She was a brave soul and the tattered brown cloak she wore showed where she had fought them while on the run. The she-zebra had even run after _him _of all things.

Then again…there could always be _more _of those wooden wolves. If they discovered her before she woke up…

Brandon's expression grew grim as he thought of what happened when he had faced them. Right now he couldn't handle one with his wounds. Scanning the area closely, before turning back toward the zebra, he reached one clawed paw-like hand toward her sleeping form.


	5. Chapter 5: A New Day

**-Hello everyone! I'm sorry for taking so long with this one. I hope it's all to your satisfaction and I apologize for any misspelled words, terrible dialogue, or anything of the sort. Please give a Review on what you liked/didn't like about this story in DETAIL, Follow, and share this story with your friends if you think they would also enjoy reading it! I'm also going to apologize in advance for some of the vague or 'lame' descriptions. I'm actually finishing this one at 5 a.m. and not working on all cylinders. I'll come back to this, if it needs to be revised, once the holidays are over and I have more time to myself. Until then have a Merry Christmas!**

**Sincerely,**

**Bv-**

**P.S. 'Baba' is Swahili for dad or father. **

**Chapter 5: A New Day**

Sunlight bathed the Everfree Forest with a warm glow. The wildlife of the day had begun waking; stretching feathered wings or furry paws before beginning their day time routines. Birds sang their songs on branches to each other, squirrels gathered their nuts and berries, butterflies lighted on flowers before drinking their nectar—

A few of those butterflies landed on a pink maned pony.

The pony had a coat of a pale gold with a pair of pale gold feathered wings tucked against her sides. Underneath the Pegasus's wings was a trio of pink and cyan butterflies imprinted on her flank. At the edge of the Everfree Forest stood the young mare's house; a cottage with a grass roof littered with runways, perches, and holes for frequent guests.

Those guests usually being animals.

Her name is Fluttershy. With half of her pink curly mane hiding the left side of her face at times, and another large strand hanging low to the ground without touching it, was an unusual Pegasus pony. Her blue eyes portals to the vast kindness to be found that was considered to be her heart. When most of the Pegasus race would rather be up high in Cloudsdale or on Weather Patrol, like her Pegasus friend Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy preferred staying on the ground with her pony and animal friends.

It was because of Rainbow Dash that Fluttershy found her Cutie Mark; caring for and befriending animals of all shapes and sizes. No matter the animal, no matter what any other pony said, there was _nothing _Fluttershy wouldn't do to help an animal. When an animal had an injury they would come to her. Whether it was her caring personality, or the soft but warm kindness of her voice, the animals trusted her. And they would express their thanks in their own special way. From tiny gifts of acorns from the squirrels to a warm hug of a large bear.

Though Fluttershy is a timid Pegasus by her nature she is a great pony friend when the time comes.

A light chuckle rose in the young mare's throat as one yellow winged butterfly landed on the tip of her nose. "Why hello there Mr. Butterfly. How are you?" She said sweetly to the colorful insect; smiling warmly. The butterfly, though it could say nothing in a language the shy Pegasus could understand, flapped its delicate wings three times in succession.

Nopony was more connected to wildlife than Fluttershy was. If somepony needed animal advice then Fluttershy was your mare to call—

Then she felt something tug at her pink tail in her distraction with the butterfly.

Fluttershy, severely startled, issued a short high pitched scream; jumping up into the air with a flap of her pale golden wings. A streak of pink and pale gold and the Pegasus disappeared into the tree canopy.

The shy Pegasus pony shook from the shock for many long moments before working up the courage to peak through the foliage to look down at the ground. With a sigh of relief, and a small blush of embarrassment, fluttered to the ground where a white rabbit waited.

A look of irritation seemed to cross the expression of the rabbit as Fluttershy lighted upon the ground. With its foot tapping repeatedly in exaggerated impatience. In response Fluttershy smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry Angel, honey. I didn't see you there." Fluttershy apologized a little sheepishly; circling her hoof into the ground.

Angel rolled his eyes before pointing at the joint between his paw and forearm.

Though Fluttershy had a connection to animals and they trusted her, but trying to figure out what they _say _was another matter. Angel was the part of Fluttershy that gave her confidence and drive to do things that she would never normally do on her own. It was Angel that had been the force behind her when one of her friends, Twilight Sparkle, had a spare ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala. Of course Princess Celestia had eventually sorted out the mess she and her other friends had made in pursuit of Twilight's ticket.

Fluttershy gasped; kneeling down when Angel pointed at his paw. "Are you hurt Angel?! Where does it hurt?" Fluttershy carefully picked up the rabbit with her hooves and examined him with concern.

Angel, instead of being grateful for her undivided attention, shook his head 'no' before pointing at the ground; silently demanding to be set down.

"No?" Fluttershy asked confused after him down. The rabbit continued with his charade.

First he drew a circle with his foot into the soft earth; placing a few pebbles around it he found lying around the area. Angel examined his environment for objects he could use to convey his message before spying stalks of grass. Taking two strands of grass he weaved one around his neck and the other around his left foreleg five times.

The pinked maned Pegasus looked on with interest and slight confusion when Angel picked up a stick about as tall as he was. Taking the stick the rabbit began to make circles in the center of the stones; churning the earth.

"You're…making soup?" Fluttershy hesitantly a guess; seeing something familiar about it but not understanding what she was supposed to remember.

His left ear switched in irritation before he stomped over to the bottom of a tree and gathered a few leaves. Along the way he plucked a few flower petals off of a nearby blue flower. Gathering the leaves and petals together he crushed them against each other, by using a large stone set into the soil as a table, with a smaller one. Once the two ingredients were mashed together into a pulp and placed it into the center of the ring of churned soil before mixing in the earth and the leaf-petal concoction together.

"A potion? You're making potions?" Fluttershy began piecing the pieces together as soon as she recognized something familiar. Noticing that the ring of rocks had acted like a fire pit and the soil, petals, and leaves had been stirred together like it was making something important.

Angel smiled with relief and nodded; pointing at his paw joint twice before pointing at the rising sun.

Fluttershy quickly worked over what the grass stalks resembled. Fluttershy, when Angel had pointed at his paw, had thought that he had hurt himself but it wasn't. Angel had been trying to tell Fluttershy about time and when he pointed at the sun…it meant something was past it's time or late. The stalks had symbolized jewelry and the only pony Fluttershy could think of that wears jewelry like that was—

"Zecora…Zecora isn't here!" She exclaimed softly; realizing something odd was going on. Fluttershy had forgotten about Zecora in her morning chores. Zecora had promised to come by her cottage this morning to give her a batch of healing salves and potions Fluttershy had requested.

The zebra had not shown up all morning. Something was terribly wrong…

"Oh-oh my. Th-this isn't good. Dear Celestia…" Fluttershy stuttered; beginning to pace back and forth with nervous energy. Zecora lived in the Everfree Forest and everypony knew that it could be dangerous at night. Nopony knew more about the forest than Zecora and _especially _not to go out at night. Fluttershy's mind began creating images of the herbalist lost in the woods alone…with just the scary…dark...forest…

Fluttershy whimpered in fear just thinking about the dark forest. She snapped out of it when Angel gently touched his paw against her foreleg; giving her his comfort.

With a grateful smile the Pegasus bent down. "Thanks Angel, honey. I needed that. Now—"

Fluttershy had begun building a plan to create a search party, consisting of her and her pony friends before she noticed it; smoke. Smoke meant a fire and it was coming from the same direction as Zecora's hut.

A relieved smile spread across the Pegasus's face along with a sigh. She was relieved that Zecora hadn't lost her way in the forest and even more relieved to know she had made it home.

Or was Zecora even at her hut?

The thought bothered the timid Pegasus but would not deter her. Going back toward her cottage she gathered her pack; putting her own herbal remedies into it as well as some food and a blanket. Placing it over her back she tightened the straps down with her teeth. The salves and other herbs were only going to be brought in case there were injuries.

Fluttershy hoped that it wouldn't come to that.

"Okay Angel. I need you to look after the others while I'm away. I'll be back soon." Fluttershy promised; snuggling her little friend before setting off into the Everfree Forest. With a need to find her friend, and a determined heart overriding the fear, the pink maned mare set off along the path to Zecora's. The mare's blue eyes searched the shadows for any dangers that may have plagued her friend.

Angel and the other animals watched the retreating form of their beloved caretaker, and friend, disappear into the forest. Fluttershy had never broken a promise with them…but the unease they felt was a shared emotion between the forest creatures.

"Wooohoooo! Heh-heh! YEAH!" Rainbow Dash shouted to the wind; feeling the air streak past her rainbow mane and tail. The cool air against her mane…the speed she traveled…and the freedom of flight…it was _awesome. _Nothing could make Rainbow happier at that moment than feeling that rush of pure adrenaline coursing its way through her wings and body. Being the member of the Weather Patrol was something that Rainbow enjoyed because it made her feel both needed and wanted. Every thunderstorm paled in comparison to the white thundercloud flashing a red, yellow, and blue lightning bolt. It meant that the female Pegasus, Rainbow Dash, was the fastest in Equestria and suited for any race or other fast-paced flying task.

_ "But even an awesome Pegasus like me needs R&R after all that mess." _Dash chuckled at the thought before heading off into the direction of Ponyville. The Pegasi from Cloudsdale had finished herding the clouds back where they were supposed to be; keeping rogue thunderstorms and the like from raging around Equestria. It would interfere with the cerise eyed Pegasus's nap if thunderclouds went off when they weren't supposed to.

"Speaking of schedules—" She spoke out loud; slowing down enough to watch a certain pony trot along with a small colorful wagon. The cart, with blue clouds painted on either side of its face, was colored in various shades of pink. A trio of balloons, with peppermint decorated spokes on the wheels; the design could only have been designed by one special pony.

"Hey Dashie! Over here! HERE!" A high spirited voice shouted from the ground; practically hopping in excitement. The pink fluffy maned Earth Pony, after unhooking herself from her cart, rushed at the Pegasus. In a flurry of twisting bodies and flailing hooves the two ponies went down. Once the dust had cleared Rainbow was assaulted with rib cracking hugs

"I've missed you SO-OH-OH much! Did you miss me? Did ya?! Did ya?! Oh I've missed YOUUUUU!" The pink female pony's words continued rapidly, as well as the hugs, piling up on Rainbow Dash.

"Pinkie Pie! I can't -gasp- breathe!" Rainbow managed to choke out; desperately trying to pry her overexcited friend off of her.

Pinkie Pie. A great friend anypony could ever ask for. Pinkie would always greet a pony with a wide cheerful smile and would do _anything _to get that pony to smile in return. With a fuzzy strawberry colored mane, to match her bubbly personality, Pinkie Pie was _the _life of any and every party. If nopony was able to tell that her cutie mark, a trio of party balloons, meant fun and parties then a first meeting with the excitable Earth pony was _bound _to be an unforgettable experience.

Every resident of Ponyville, new and old, knew of Pinkie Pie and she would know them. With a strong memory, and the need to make a pony smile at least once, Pinkie claimed to know everypony and everything about them. Remembering birthdays, marriages, spouses, and friends were as easy as breathing air for her. There practically was no limit to what Pinkie could do once that little pink mare set her mind to it.

Every day she would find somepony who had just moved in, celebrate a birthday, an anniversary, or just seemed like they were having a bad day. She would talk to them, tell jokes, dance and sing, and if none of those worked then it was _party time. _

"Whoops! My bad Dashie!" Pinkie Pie, noticing that her Pegasus friend was suffering, loosened her crushing hooves from a grateful Rainbow Dash. The pink Earth Pony, once Rainbow finally evened out her breathing, pulled the Pegasus by her rainbow tail to the cart Pinkie had been pulling.

"Take a look! I've had this FAN-TAST-IC idea of making somepony's day better!" She went on, thumping the cart in emphasis, looking at Dash with wide light blue eyes of excitement.

Rainbow, on the otherhoof, did not know what Pinkie Pie was going on about. The Pegasus had seen the cart, Pinkie calling it the 'Party Wagon', before and nothing looked any different. Rainbow Dash quietly examined the wagon in curiosity; noting every detail of it. Her cerise eyes, after many moments of unfruitful effort of searching, blinked in confusion. Pinkie Pie had quietly, but fretfully, paced in place. Almost as if she wanted Rainbow to say something…

With a small chuckle the Pegasus finally got what Pinkie wanted. "Okay Pinkie. Show me what ya got."

Pinkie Pie looked like she had gotten the greatest gift in the world; the way her eyes grew so wide.

"YES!" Pinkie cheered before going to the back of the wagon; tinkering with unseen machinery out of Rainbow's view. Clanking and banging could be heard from behind the wagon but no matter how far Rainbow stretched her neck she couldn't catch a glimpse.

After about a minute or so of waiting Pinkie was ready to show Dash her big idea.

"Ready?" Pinkie asked excitedly; placing her hoof over a peppermint candy on the side of the cart. -

Rainbow Dash took two steps back before calling back. "Ready." There was never a time that the Pegasus didn't enjoy Pinkie's surprises but it was best for everypony to keep a little distance in case something went off. And, in Pinkie Pie's case, almost _anything _could and would go off.

With a small _click _of the peppermint switch the cart began shaking. The cart, with each moment that passed, began issuing a soft barrage of sounds. Gradually the noise grew in strength before it exploded forth from its case; the top of the cart opening in two places.

Trumpets blared out along with the sounds of whistles and a song by Pinkie Pie herself.

"Don't you fret,

Not just yet.

There's plenty for you to see,

And I'm just the pony, pony.

My name is Pinkie Pie,

I'm not gonna lie.

Theres so much to do and not enough time to do it,

So we better hurry up and get!

Come on everypony it's time to go,

BUT before we begin I ought to let you know…

Don't you fret,

Not just yet.

There's plenty for you to see,

And I'm just the pony, Pony.

My name is Pinkie Pie,

I'm not gonna lie.

'Everyday is a happy day,'

That's what I always say~.

Cheer up and greet the day with a smile!

Laugh and giggle and share it all the while!

Believe in you,

And I will too~."

Pinkie finished the song on a long note; the wagon having been playing a mixture of instruments before glitter and confetti launched from a few of the trumpets.

Rainbow grinned from ear to ear and stomped her front hooves in appreciation. "That was great Pinkie! You've got it pegged!" The Pegasus finished, good-naturedly, elbowing Pinkie in the ribs. Two good friends shared a laugh for a few moments in each other's company.

It was well into the afternoon the two talked about recent events and what their other friends were doing.

"—Twilight and Spike went over to Sweet Apple Acres. Something about building a warehouse or ware-barn? I'm not quite sure." Pinkie Pie mentioned in the middle of the conversation; puzzled over what Twilight, Applejack and Spike were making before her ever changing mind switched over to another topic.

"Speaking of animals…I haven't seen Fluttershy this morning. She _may _be back over at her cottage-or at someponyelse's home-or having cake at _Sugarcube Corner_-OR—!" She had stopped to take a breath to continue with her theories

Dash's hoof covered the pink mare's mouth before she could continue any farther with her seemingly endless energy. "Pinkie." The cyan colored Pegasus stated bluntly; raising her eyebrow at the random pony. "We'll start at _Sugarcube Corner_ then go to Twilight's place. If Fluttershy isn't there at either place then we'll go to Rarity's _Carousel Boutique_." Rainbow finished; uncovering Pinkie Pie's mouth.

"Okie dokie loki!" The pink mare responded energetically. After a few moments her bright smile had been swiped clean with worry. Even if Pinkie Pie was all about parties and smiles…she still worried about everypony. One time Pinkie Pie had thought that Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity and her other friends had grown tired of her parties and didn't have any intention of continuing their friendship. Pinkie Pie, for an Earth Pony, was especially sensitive of those types of situations.

_"Fluttershy is alright. That pony is probably on one of her outings with one of the animals." _Rainbow thought to herself as she walked with Pinkie Pie down the road to the confectionary business. Rainbow Dash, nevertheless, found that this was more than a little strange.

Something strange was happening…but what?

"_It's too bright…" _Wisp thought the complaint to himself; feeling his head pound from the onslaught of the sunlight in his eyes. Scratches covered his black body from last night. Wisp had hit many branches and fell down more than once in his search for his target. Wisp berated himself the entire night, and a fraction of the morning, during his search. Getting distracted for one measly moment was endangering his mission objective.

If the Changeling had been doing what he was supposed to do then he would still be on his target's trail, and the bonus, with a few hours of sleep.

But there was no sleep or rest for the tired love parasite. If Wisp didn't find the stranger soon…

The Changeling shook that thought from his mind before he continued his search. Wisp _will _find him and _will _succeed in his mission for the Queen Changeling. Staring at the forest floor from the canopy, with the determination to see the mission through, found a large object lying on the ground in a clearing.

Wisp examined the area around the clearing thoroughly before making his way down on his beetle-like tattered wings. From the shadows of the bushes he could see what it was.

A Timber Wolf; it was dead.

"_Did _he _do this?" _He thought to himself as he examined the body. A puddle of green blood had surrounded the body before it had slowly sunk into the earth. Now only a wet patch of blood caked earth was left of the puddle. Flies had swarmed the body once the sun had heated the carcass enough to make it smell rancid. The flies only seemed interested in the blood that had slowly flowed from the many wounds dealt to its caved in ribcage before it had begun coagulating. Another larger wound was visible on the spine.

It looked like the thing's spine had caved in under a heavy force. The Timber Wolf had beenliterally _beaten _to death.

Wisp squinted at the corpse but was unable to clearly see what other damage had been dealt. Glancing at the edges of the clearing revealed no other Timber Wolves or any form of life the Changeling could spot. Only the colorful petals of flowers and the morning sun were present. Should he go?

There were rules in the Changeling way of life. But there was one rule that Wisp and other Changelings had been drilled particularly well in their memory during their first, and final, days of training.

"Never reveal your true forms in broad daylight." Wisp's Instructor had specifically warned before and after training. Each day was filled with near impossible tasks of endurance and skill. Every time one Changeling fell during training their punishments would be severe. Punishments ranging from increased training exercises to lashings were possible. Putting a Changeling to death was the most extreme case and only the Queen could freely send a Changeling to death. Treason and the killing of another Changeling was the only way a Changeling would lose their life. There has never been a case in Changeling history of treason.

The Instructors would also make Changelings do such near impossible tasks to see if they could push the individuals past their breaking point and beyond. Those that went beyond the expectations of the Instructors were also awarded higher ranks of Infiltrators and generals instead of the common foot soldier.

But to reveal oneself in broad daylight was also a form of treason; the very _act _could put their entire race to discovery and ruin all of Queen Chrysalis's plans.

"I guess I have no choice." Wisp muttered before he began concentrating on something that was more suitable for the daylight. An image of a white mannequin-like shape stood against the black background of his mind. The doll was very similar to a pony but it was blank; he would have to paint it and give it life.

For as long as there have been Changelings there has been the capability to shape shift. Over time the Changeling race learned to copy the appearance of other creatures and, in effect, drain them of feelings of love or other affections. Other good emotions such as happiness, joy and creativity could be substituted for love when it was necessary. Love and affection are a strong source of raw energy and more easily processed than other positive emotions.

Wisp, having finished creating the image he desired, shut his arctic blue eyes as a green aura surrounded his horn and body. A water-like effect of color trickled down the Changeling's body starting from his spiked head to the bottoms of his pitch black hooves. Bright green light shined from within the shadows of the trees for a few moments before vanishing as quickly as it had come. Many moments passed before Wisp finally stepped forth into the sunlight.

It was complete.

Instead of the pitch black body of a Changeling it was the color of a pale spring green; bright against the dark green of the trees behind him. His spike, though it was small compared to the Unicorns, was hidden beneath his magic. With a spiky short mane and tail, the color of a dark shade of dodger blue, would make him stand out in a crowd but the coloration was not something abnormal in Equestria. The green amulet his Queen gave to him rested around his neck.

Wisp, with his arctic blue eyes staring out from the rigid face of a stallion Earth Pony, examined the Timber Wolf corpse with renewed interest. Pacing around the corpse gave the Changeling a complete view of the injuries. The ribcage, like he had speculated, had collapsed under heavy impacts. Flies buzzed around the opening of the Timber Wolf's spine. Splintered bits of wood had pierced the plant-like organs inside the creature's body. It had died of internal bleeding.

But that wasn't all.

Only by walking around the corpse did Wisp notice the claw marks against the sides of the wooden ribcage. Peering closely at the marks, keeping his hooves from stepping in the blood soaked soil; they had marked the spot where the creature's lungs were located. They weren't deep but shallow scratches against the wooden body. Something other than the green blood of the wooden beast marked the ground.

"_He had moved the body—" _Wisp thought to himself; imagining the strange blue being grasping the Timber Wolf with his black claws as he saw something red against the grass. Bending down on one knee it was then he knew. "_The two struggled…the stranger had been injured…and finally the blow was struck." _Wisp thought to himself as an image of the stranger fighting with the Timber Wolf played like a slideshow in his mind. The Changeling could imagine the sound of breaking wood as the Timber Wolf's body was destroyed and shuttered in spite of himself. After the fight the stranger must have moved the body away from him. There was something that wasn't right about this.

Where were the other Timber Wolves?

Tracks of the wooden creatures could be seen entering the clearing but not _leaving _it. Along those tracks were ones of an Earth Pony and a track Wisp knew nothing about. The strange four-toed track was like nothing he had ever seen before. Every pony and Changeling was taught in the basic knowledge of wildlife and this footprint wasn't one.

"No doubt about it."Wisp muttered to himself before looking from one end of the clearing to the other; connecting the pieces of the unknown track. There was a cave nearby but it didn't seem important or significant at the moment. He had gathered all the information he required from last night's events…and a lead.

A trail of red blood droplets led out of the clearing and into the forest towards Ponyville.

"_You are one interesting soul, Stranger. You don't make things easy." _The Changeling thought admiringly to himself before beginning his search anew down the path the blue stranger had taken. Wisp, once in the cover of the trees, let the shroud of magic fall as he followed the blood trail on hoof. The amulet glowed with an inner light again as a familiar voice spoke within his mind.

"Report, Wisp." Queen Chrysalis's voice commanded him; impatience seething underneath her regal tone.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Wisp began the proper response before going into detail about what happened last night and what he had discovered today. The Changeling met no trouble down the trail through the warm Everfree Forest. Animals continued about their routines as Wisp had his mental report with the Changeling Queen. But Wisp had missed something.

Off to the sides of the trail trail, if the Changeling had paid closer attention, were the flowers and bulbs somepony had been harvesting last night and met a stranger in a dark gray cloak.

It was dark…but a comfortable darkness.

Nothing was visible to Zecora's turquoise eyes in the pitch blackness. Her body felt slow and sluggish; making it difficult to control simple actions like moving a hoof. Touch, while sight failed her, made it easier to feel where she was…but not exactly where. Given time, though how much time had passed was beyond her, Zecora was able to figure out by the feeling of the surface she had slept on that it was her bed. The smooth texture of the stitching was familiar to the feel of her hoof.

But how did she get here?

The comfortable warmth of the sheets and the blanket draped over her made Zecora reluctant to move. Finally, with a small intake of breath, the zebra tried sitting up and regretted it at once. A deep throbbing ache spread throughout Zecora's body; including her head. She grimaced and cried out in pain as a hammering sensation beat against the inside of her head. It had felt like somepony had stood on top of the zebra's head and started jumping on it.

Zecora, with gritted teeth, gently climbed out of her bed and made her way to the main section of her hut. Rays of sunlight peaked through the shutters of the windows; illuminating sections of the tree's rings and a few of the shelves lining the walls. Standing up on her hind legs she carefully felt along the shelf with her nose before finding something long and rectangular.

She laid the box down on the floor, after retrieving it from the shelf with her teeth, before nosing the hinged lid open. Within box, though it was dark, was a knotted piece of old wood. Zecora could imagine the knots that made up the handle, where a pony's mouth was meant to hold it, before it gradually tapered out to a blunt point.

It was an item Zecora had brought with her from her homeland. The wise shaman of her village had given it to her before she had set out for the world; promising that it would come to use one day.

"_I love you my wise baba, and you as well mama." _Zecora smiled lovingly with the thought before gently grasping the knotted branch within her mouth. Within her mind she thought of a bright flame in the darkness; imagining it on the tip of the wood—

A flame leapt forth from the end of the branch and stayed. There was no smoke and the branch itself remained whole though a flame was burning on the very tip of it.

Magic was something Zecora's people valued highly but used sparingly. Their belief to use one's own hooves to craft objects or accomplish tasks was something they prided themselves on. Adept at surviving their harsh surroundings made zebra's natural survivalists; using the surrounding area to their advantages.

The flame was bright to her eyes but it helped to light her surroundings to a nearby candle in a cubby hole. Three more candles, in time, were lit in similar spots around the room before Zecora felt the light she had would suffice. Zecora, having closed her eyes once again, let go of the image of the flame within her mind to extinguish the flame at the end of the branch. Once again the branch had been placed back into its box and put back on the shelf the zebra had pulled it from.

Zecora silently grimaced in pain as the ache of her head made her hurry to a certain shelf nearest to her fireplace. She smiled softly in relief, finding a clay jar resting on the top shelf, then grasped the wooden handle within her teeth. The clay lid clinked against the pot when the zebra placed the lid down on the same shelf before reaching for a few dried leaves from the container. Zecora repeated the procedure on the bottom shelf of the same wall by grabbing two thick roots from a glass jar to her work table.

She chewed the dried leaves before placing the moist plant roots on the wooden surface. The leaves, using her mouth to maneuver them, were moved under her tongue to sit. Zecora had found that chewing these medicinal leaves and leaving it to sit in a pony's mouth helped reduce head, tooth, and eye aches. Sure enough the painful drumming in Zecora's head lessened considerably after leaving the leaves sitting in her mouth for five minutes. While she waited she crushed the roots with her hooves in a large shallow stone bowl; turning the roots into a consistent mush.

Next the zebra added beeswax, still keeping the leaf paste in her mouth, then oils to the root pulp; mixing the three ingredients thoroughly. The resulting combination was similar to most of Zecora's salves but this had more of a liquid quality to it; smelling strongly of something similar to garlic.

Zecora, holding her breath, dipped her hoof into the mixture and began liberally applying it to her forelegs. The salve was applied to everywhere the mare felt any muscular aches. Soon most of her body had been covered in the salve except her mane, tail and head. Her body temperature began to rise as the salve blocked its escape. Warmth soothed her aching body; making her sigh in relief while the salve soaked into her coat and skin.

Aches in Zecora's shoulder blades and joints began melting away like flame to a candle's wax.

"Now that my pain is no more, I must find out how I got past my front door." Zecora said aloud; pacing back and forth in front of her fire pit. She could remember finding the Sun Flower…being chased by the Timber Wolves…hiding in the cave awaiting death…seeing _something _in a cloak…

Then darkness. Everything past that point had slipped by while she was unconscious.

Zecora scrunched her brow with the result of her thinking; the time lapse not sitting well with her. Between last night and this morning something had happened. Exactly _what _had happened was beyond the herbalist's knowledge. Last night, if it was any other pony, would have been treated like a bad dream and forgotten after finding the safe haven of their home. They could play it off and go about their life like nothing had ever happened.

But it had _not_ been a dream and it _did _happen. Neither the Timber Wolves, nor that cloaked somepony, were a result of a wild imagination.

Zecora knew what had transpired last night was no dream. The fear she had felt, along with the small scratches on her body, were proof of her ordeal. Soon thoughts of the cloaked stranger came back to her mind with an insistent mental nudge. No matter how much Zecora tried to suppress them they came back again and again. The memory of those strange yellow eyes…the cloak…and the flapping ends of the cloak when the figure fled the clearing…

Why? What drove the unknown being away?

Puzzled, Zecora walked back to her room to her bed, she found something there that she hadn't noticed when she had been sleeping. A night stand stood next to the bed and on it were small objects; apples.

The colorful fruit had not been there before she had left her tree hut.

She didn't have time to understand what the sign had meant before noticing a dark stain by the night stand. Zecora, bending her fore legs to get a closer look, examined the stain with a curious expression. In the soft candlelight was something she had seen last night when one Timber Wolf had been killed; blood.

Red. The same color as Zecora's or any other pony's blood.

Events of last night began connecting in Zecora's mind when the key to her door glinted in the light next to the apples. Zecora, though the stranger's purpose to saving the herbalist wasn't clear, had been _carried_ home and placed on the bed. She walked back to the main room and looked closely at the shelves. No memorabilia, books, scrolls, potions or any other item that Zecora was aware of had been taken.

Blood had been left behind which meant…

"Where have you gone Stranger of the Cloak, before I woke?" She asked herself upon seeing drops of drying blood marking the path towards the only door in and out of her home. Zecora knew that the blood belonged to the Cloaked One. If only she knew _where _that stranger was—

A soft knock sounded from the other side of the door.

Zecora, the sound surprising her so much it had made her flinch, cautiously walked over to the door. The herbalist listened placed her ear near the door and listened intently; apprehensive of opening the door. Then Zecora heard a voice.

"Zecora? H-hello? Are you there?" A soft but nervous voice asked.

There was only one pony Zecora knew with that voice.

Zecora opened the door to see a pale golden mare Pegasus Pony with wide blue eyes and a pink mane and tail. On her flank was a trio of pink winged cyan butterflies. The Pegasus, startled at Zecora's sudden appearance, looked like she was about to have a heart attack.

"Fluttershy my dear, why are you here?" Zecora asked in happy disbelief before bringing the startled pony in for a gentle hug. Never had Zecora believed that Fluttershy, the shyest and easily startled Pegasus, would come into the Everfree Forest by herself. Never had the zebra been so happy to see one of her dearest friends, having said her fond goodbyes to them, after her near death experience.

Fluttershy, after calming down a little bit from Zecora's sudden hug, smiled in relief before returning the warm gesture. "I didn't see you this morning at my cottage. When I finally realized you didn't come by as you usually do…I got worried." Fluttershy bent her head down in shame. "If Angel hadn't reminded me and if you'd been hurt—" Tears had begun welling up in the Pegasus's sky blue eyes.

A kind smile formed on the zebra's lips as she gently stroked the pink mane of her friend in comfort. "I'm happy that you came my friend, there isn't a wound I cannot mend. You swallowed your fear and came to find me, but I am healthy and fine you see?" Zecora said; gently lifting up Fluttershy's head with her hoof to look her in the eye.

"Okay…" The Pegasus said softly giving a grateful smile and sniffed softly; rubbing her face clean of the tears.

Zecora gently led Fluttershy into her tree; leading over to the table against the wall she had made for visitors. The herbalist gathered crushed tea leaves and placed them in a metal filter before going over to a barrel with a water spout. Water, with a turn of the handle, began falling from the metal mouth of the spout. Zecora, once the water in the barrel had filled up her pot, placed the pot on top of a metal stove in a corner of the room. With a push of a button a round plate on the stove top began heating up; the zebra pushed the bottom of the tea pot over the glowing round disc.

Within minutes the water had begun to boil with the metal tea pot making a loud whistle as hot air rushed out of the opening; signaling that it needed to be taken off.

The two friends sat down at the table; leaning their bodies against the backs of the chair with a pot of honey flavored tea set between them. Heat rose from the clay mugs while the two friends silently enjoyed the time they were spending together. For many moments Zecora said nothing but what she had to ask Fluttershy was important.

She may already have taken too long.

"You have come a long way my friend, I hope of what I ask…is something that won't offend." Zecora began uncertainly; feeling awkward for asking more of her Pegasus friend. A lump had begun developing in her throat and made the words difficult to convey. The zebra placed her tea down and continued. "Last night I was out when I shouldn't be, I had run into wooden creatures ponies rarely see. They hide and lurk within the dark, and their bite was far worse than their bark."

Fluttershy's eyes had begun to grow wide in fright as Zecora began describing a rare sighting of the Timber Wolf; her tea forgotten.

Zecora felt bad about telling her easily scared pony friend this…but it had to be told.

"Deeper into the night and darkness I had fled, filled with an uncontrollable amount of dread. What I had thought was my final light…, I was saved by a stranger in the moonlight." Zecora said softly as she remembered seeing the image of the Cloaked Stranger.

The Pegasus Pony had begun lifting her head at the mention of 'stranger' and asked in her usual soft voice. "What did he…look like?"

She shook her striped head softly until her earrings swung with the motion. "For that I do not know, his cloak was the only thing he showed." Zecora gestured with her hoof; raising it above her head. "He wore a dark gray cloak, but broad and as tall as an oak."

Zecora gently touched her hooves with Fluttershy's; looking the Pegasus directly in the eyes. "If it weren't for this stranger I wouldn't be here today, and I have a debt that will need to be repaid. I need to find him, for he is injured and the situation is grim." The zebra grimaced at the thought before continuing. "An unknown amount of time has past, nor do I know how long he will last. I ask for your help Fluttershy, with you I believe he won't die."

For many moments the Pegasus was silent and the fear of going further into the forest was evident on her face. "When do we start?" Fluttershy asked with determination; going over to her pack she set on the floor and strapping it on her back.

The herbalist smiled widely and nodded before going to get her own pack next to the foot of the bed.

Fluttershy helped gather potions, salves, and bandages into the saddle bag for Zecora to carry. The light outside had begun to darken considerably as the afternoon began its descent into evening. Zecora's turquoise eyes followed the blood drop lets out the door and toward the back of her hut. Plants glistened with the droplets like tiny round rubies leaving a trail away from Ponyville and toward the Everfree Forest.

Zecora led the way at a gallop into the forest; seeking the stranger before something ill befell him in a forest meant for all manner of beasts.

"_I'm coming for you Stranger, please be safe…and keep from danger." _The zebra prayed the thought to herself as the two ponies rode deeper into the depths of the forest. Each step they took bringing them closer and closer to the strange being taking residence in the forest.


	6. Chapter 6: Secrets

**-Hello everyone! This is Chapter 6 of the 'My Little Pony: A Different World' story. I want to say I am VERY sorry for taking even longer than normal to finish this chapter. (1. I got a cold a few days after Christmas and felt like crap for almost a week. During the time I was sick I tried writing at least one page a day to make up for it. 2. I had a writers block for a while and was unable to write anything 'story worthy' so this may be the worst of the chapters I have ever made.) Besides that I want to apologize in advance for any misspelled words, poor descriptions, and anything similar. Please, Comment, Review and Follow. Please give DETAILED Reviews on what you did/didn't like about the story. Thanks again and hope you enjoy! **

**Sincerely,**

**BV**

**P.S.: You'll encounter these words 'Manehattan' (Main-hat-an), 'Freda' (Free-duh), and Baltimare (Balt-a-mare).-  
**

**Chapter 6: Secrets**

_"_Damn it…"The teen cursed to himself before leaning his shoulder against the rough bark of a nearby tree; placing one paw-like hand against it to steady himself. Colors had begun to blur together in his vision when he looked around him before he dug his claws into the bark.

Last night had been the most grueling trek he had _ever _experienced in his life

Navigating through this unknown forest had been difficult enough just carrying his own weight. Not only had Brandon hiked through the forest on an injured leg…but he had also carried that talking zebra with him.

He must have been out of his mind.

Brandon, as soon as he saw her, had pulled his wool blanket from his pack and placed it over her. The teen had seen the poor state of the cloak she had been wearing and knew, without a doubt, even if another animal didn't find her then the cold would. Heat could escape from her thin layer of fur and all the trouble he had gone to save the zebra would have been a wasted effort if she died.

Taking her back to the cave had not been an option but he _could_ take her elsewhere. He could, after the teen found a safe place to leave her, and then he could continue his journey.

Circumstances had changed greatly in the past few days he traveled this unknown territory… but the goal was still the same. Somehow Brandon would make it up to that mountain and find a few answers to the many questions nagging at his mind. Deep in his heart the teen feared the answers he may receive but he knew he _must _know.

First things first; the zebra had to be moved somewhere.

Gently tucking his paw-like hands underneath the zebra, having made sure his claws didn't catch and poke her through the fabric, Brandon gently lifted her from the ground. Standing up to his full height, since picking the zebra up had been easy enough, tried adjusting the way he had held her. The teen had trouble figuring out which position would be more comfortable for him and the talking animal.

Strength had made it easy picking her up but it wouldn't help him here.

Brandon, from what he could remember, didn't know how to properly hold anything that had been a cat or a box. Slinging the zebra over his shoulder was out the question, her body being too wide to fit on his shoulder and the likelihood that it would make it hard to breathe, and holding her upside down on her back wasn't a much better idea. Then he had finally chosen to hold her with her legs bent in a resting position, having seen horses in pictures sleeping like that, with the crook of one arm supporting her blanket covered flank and the other supporting the front of her chest. His large paw-like hands supported her sides to keep the zebra from falling to the ground.

Thankfully the zebra was light enough for him to carry and, he figured, her head would rest over his cloaked right shoulder. Brandon had been a little relieved when he heard the soft sigh of the zebra's breathing next to his ear.

Brandon had walked for hours and, thinking he was walking in complete circles, he couldn't ask the zebra for directions even if he had wanted to. It had only been because of his weird form that he even knew where to look. Something…_instinctual_… had guided him along a worn dirt trail toward some healthier looking trees. Fatigue, hunger, and desperation finally made him go down the trail to its end; making him think this had all been a waste of eff—

But it hadn't been. Standing among a small group of trees, with gaps in the canopy, was a larger tree. It was not just any old tree. This tree had been made into a dwelling; multicolored bottles hung from string on out hanging branches, a strange mask hung on a door, and steps made of wood led it.

_What the hell…? _Brandon thought to himself in disbelief; taking a few steps closer to the odd home. Tapping a black claw, after finally working up the courage to stand next to it, on the window proved it was something normal…but the _way _the windows were framed was an alien sight to his yellow cat-like eyes. Two windows, instead of being square or circular in design, were oval but set at odd angles in the tree. The steps leading up to the door seemed normal enough as well as sturdy.

The inside of the tree had been dark and there was no way to tell if someone was home. Unless…

He glanced at the sleeping zebra and sighed tiredly; gently placing her down on the top step before he began his search. Every house had to have a spare key in case someone had been locked out but no matter where Brandon looked, whether it had been under a rock or the inside of the mask above the door, there was no key to be found. He rubbed the areas next to his eyes with his index and middle fingers; trying to think of where he hadn't looked.

_I wonder… _He thought to himself before kneeling back in front of the zebra, grimacing as he felt a sharp stab in his leg and felt something wet trickle down his leg, gently opening up the wool blanket to expose her. "I'm sorry." Brandon whispered softly before he realized he had said it, shaking his head, he began feeling around the inside of the saddlebag she wore. His fingers felt something slender and hard resting at the bottom of one pouch before he brought it to the light.

A polished iron key.

Its teeth were simply made with three notches in it where the rollers of the lock would rest; unlocking the door. Lifting a dark blue eyebrow in a skeptical manner, placing the key into the old fashioned keyhole, the teen turned the key to the right. There was a small _click _and the door swung inward a crack.

_Your home. _Brandon turned back toward the zebra and smiled slightly at the thought before picking the sleeping zebra up again; walking into the dark depths of the house. On either side of him, using his night vision to see, books and bottles were lined up on small shelves.

Masks, like outside, were placed on the walls; having been placed over the supporting beams of the house. A fire pit had been placed in the middle of the room with a wide chimney to let the smoke and fumes out. There was also an oven in the corner with an old wooden table placed off to the side.

The house, besides the decorations and some simple furniture, didn't have anything advanced. There was no television, electricity, or other light sources; only candles.

Brandon adjusted his grip on his living luggage and walked over to a large hole. Upon closer examination the teen discovered it was another room. In it were a few more of the strangely carved masks, a nightstand, and a bed fit for someone small. The room was bare but it was comfortable; something simple.

Another sigh, though it was one of relief, came from his lips as he quietly made his way toward the dark green covers of the bed. Brandon, moving the pillow underneath her head, gently set the sleeping zebra on the bed. The tattered cloak was placed at the end of the bed post along with the odd saddle bag. A soft glow shone through the window in the room to streak across the bed.

Daylight; an entire night had gone past.

His gaze swiveled from the window to the zebra; watching her. Nothing apart from the sound of her breathing, accompanied by the rise and fall of her ribs, signaled any chance of waking any time soon. But something about this out of place creature with the ability to speak words, ones in rhyme no doubt, made him feel…strange.

It almost felt like he needed to…_talk _to this creature.

_Great. Let's strike up a conversation with a talking zebra. Next you'll want t—". _Brandon had thought bitterly to himself; his fingers had barely touched the wool blanket before he found his mind pulled into another place.

_Brandon found himself in a room. His eyes could barely make out the outlines of stuffed animals lining the walls and a window sill. A colored glass butterfly nightlight was plugged into the wall and provided a little more light to his surroundings; realizing that he was in someone's bedroom. Turning sharply to look behind him, have felt something move on the surface the teen was sitting on, he saw that he was on a bed. _

_"Brandon?" The voice of a girl spoke; slightly muffled underneath the covers. Brandon looked on with interest as blonde hair, illuminated by the nightlight, poked out from beneath the pink Disney princess covers. Light blue eyes finally dared to look out from the fabric. _

_"Yeah…it's me Abbey." Brandon whispered softly in recognition of his little sister; adjusting his sitting position to get a better look at her. Abbey had begun rubbing her small hands across her eyes, fighting off sleep, before making a small yawn. She was about three years old, or so Brandon had thought, and barely two foot maybe a little more. Abbey, though not jet in Kindergarten, was tall for her age and still growing. _

_The young teen felt a painful constriction in his chest._

_"Brandon…?" Abbey asked wearily before moving herself closer to him. Her small hands tugged on the sleeve of his loose pajamas to get his attention when he did not answer immediately._

_His left hand, involuntarily, had rested over his chest to the heart beating inside. "I'm fine. It's…nothing…" Brandon smiled softly and rested his hand on her head in comfort. Reaching over, when his little sister's face betrayed her doubt, he grasped her by the upper torso and tickled her armpits._

_Immediately Abbey had begun kicking and squirming in his gentle grip under the assault of the tickling fingers. "Th-th-that TICKLES!" His sister, unable to suppress her pleas and laughter, covered her mouth when a giggle or scream was going to be too loud and wake the household. The giggles she made accompanied by her frequent attempts to move away made Brandon try all the harder to keep her still. After many moments Brandon had laughed softly and finally ceased his relentless barrage of tickle attacks; his chuckles blending with Abbey's giggles for a few minutes. Finally, after snuggling against him, his sister had smiled happily. _

_The smile Abbey gave…it made him feel important even..._needed.

_Her laughs filled his heart with warmth and joy. The small mischievous grins Abbey gave when she had planned something sneaky and it worked in her favor gave him something to laugh about every day. When sadness threatened to engulf him…she was there to give him a warm hug and make him feel better. Abbey was both his best friend and little sister. Nothing could change that; _nothing.

_But what Abbey had said next made him cringe._

_"Brandon…will you promise me something?" His little sister's small voice serious in the silence; her gaze fixed on the wall at the foot of the bed. The fingers on her small hands had gripped his clothes tightly when she had spoken and still clung to him. _

_He tilted his head in curiosity; feeling apprehensive about what Abbey wanted Brandon to promise. "Sure. What?" Brandon tried to ask as nonchalantly as he could when he felt a shiver begin racing up his spine. Something about this didn't feel right._

_What was about to happen?_

_It was then that Abbey looked her brother right in his blue-grey eyes with determination. She took his hand in her small ones and gripped it tightly; her voice quieter than a whisper. "Don't…go. Please don't go away—" Abbey's voice cracked as she tried not to cry. Tears had begun to well up in her blue eyes but she was strong and only gripped his hand tighter. "Promise me. Promise me you'll stay." The golden haired little girl sniffed loudly to hold back the oncoming snot most children would leak when they cried._

_ Brandon, touched by how grown up Abbey was and feeling guilty for being the reason why she was going to cry, smiled reassuringly and nodded as he grasped her hands in his. "I promise, Abbey. I'm not going _anywhere._" He raised his hand for his sister to see before tracing an 'x' over his heart. "Cross my heart."_

_Abbey sniffed. "Leroy Promise?" She asked; bringing up a blue object from beneath the covers. Button eyes stares out of a lifeless face of a patched blue elephant._

_The same elephant Brandon had held when he had witnessed that fight._

_An involuntary flinch had come over him when his eyes saw the stuffed toy. Brandon, not wanting to worry Abbey, smiled nonetheless and gently grasped Leroy with his free hand. "I Leroy Promise." The teen promised; giving the blue elephant a shake along in synch with Abbey's small shake._

_This was the most important action to both Abbey and Brandon. It was an unbreakable promise between the two. Promises like these could not, and should not, be broken under _any _circumstances. A Leroy Promise was a rare type of promise between the two siblings. Only made between them when an extremely important secret had to be kept or, in this case, a promise never to separate and it needed to be kept only between the two. Brandon had come up with the promise himself when Abbey didn't feel comfortable with just a pinky promise and, since the promises that the teen boy knew were a little more crude and not kid friendly, the creation of the Leroy Promise had been born._

_Margaret, feeling uncomfortable calling her 'mom' after the last memory of her, had made Leroy for Abbey with some left over cloth when she had still been going to a sewing club. The group, the teen found it hard to remember the name, would be assigned with tasks to create something every other week. Most of the items that were made there were sold at small auctions to raise money for themselves and those in—_

_A sharp pain shot through Brandon's skull; making the scenery around him blacken and fade._

_"Abbey!" Brandon shouted as he tried to grab her disappearing hand to only notice something in that split second. He could taste something metallic on his tongue…but that wasn't all. Something warm and..._dirty_… coated his hands. _

_But he had no time to figure out why. In the span of an instant he saw Abbey's face again…something was wrong._

_It felt like Brandon was looking down a tunnel and at the end of the tunnel was Abbey. Her blue eyes that were so warm and gentle were wide open in fear. Tears were flowing down her face and flecks of blood had splattered onto her face. Time seemed to have slowed when his eyes met hers. He reached out toward her image…but saw a blue paw-like hand instead reaching for her—_

And he found himself kneeling before an entirely different bed.

Brandon found himself looking at the bedroom shutter with his arm outstretched like it had in the memory. Sweat had begun to bead on his forehead before he swept his darkly colored arm across it. The zebra was still sleeping when he had entered the memory. Grabbing the wool blanket quickly, in case another memory appeared, the teen pulled the edge of the green blanket to the zebra's neck.

Why? Why was there blood?

A happy memory had turned sour in the blink of an eye with just that one image. He stood up from his kneeling position and grimaced as the wound reopened itself to weep more blood. _I've gotta do something about this… _Brandon thought to himself before folding the wool blanket up to store back in his pack. The teen, though perturbed by the memory, still needed to know what happened during that instant.

He had been about to turn and head out the door when he heard a small groan come from the bed.

The zebra, having stirred when she had felt a presence, opened her tired eyes. Her head remained lying on the pillow but her eyes seemed only barely aware of where Brandon was; seemingly out of focus. It would take a little time before she woke completely from the grips of sleep. Brandon, though he knew he should, didn't turn away from the talking creature. Common sense screamed to get out but he did not.

How could he?

Brandon had noticed something so strange and so unrealistic about the zebra he hadn't seen when she had been awake the last time they saw each other. The irises of her eyes were a beautiful blue-tinted turquoise color. Those eyes were something the teen could have stared at for hours and never grow tired of them…but he couldn't stay. He knew what would probably happen once the talking she-zebra had fully woken up.

"Sleep. You are safe now." Brandon whispered as softly and reassuringly as he could in his new low voice. He had been tempted to remove his hood but refrained from the action. The zebra stayed silent, probably still groggy from her sleep, before Brandon gently placed the iron key on the nightstand.

"Am I dream—?" She had begun to speak before Brandon gently interrupted her.

"Yes. This is all a dream." Brandon reassured her before turning away to pick up the pack he had dropped in his paw-like hand; using his broad back to keep the zebra from seeing what he was doing. "Just a bad dream. Now sleep." He quietly spoke as he turned his cloaked head over his right shoulder to look at her.

Sleep had again quietly taken the zebra back to her dreaming and her strangely beautiful eyes closed again.

With a small sigh of relief Brandon took one step towards the door then stopped. He quietly rummaged through his bag and pulled out two of his apples; noticing only three apples remained in his pack. Somehow the teen would need to procure more food for himself for his journey. Hopefully this forest had some recognizable vegetation he could use; stealing did not sit well with him.

Eventually he had left the two apples there and exited the tree home to his current predicament.

Brandon knew not of how long he traveled or where. His vision had begun failing as time went on and his wounded leg was almost unbearable to walk on. Hours had probably gone past without him knowing about it but he wouldn't have cared due to the pain his leg had been causing him. Cold sweat had dripped freely from his brow as he felt his body get hot from the exertion he placed on it. He felt like he was experiencing claustrophobia with all of his panting…but _outside?_

Whatever it was the teen's strange new body wasn't adapting too well to it.

Next had come a terrible throbbing; making Brandon gently clutch his head as he slid his back down the rough bark of the tree. The pain did not lessen and only seemed to be getting worse the longer he waited. Brandon pulled back the lips from his canine teeth in pain-filled aggravation before he looked down at his right thigh.

It wasn't pretty.

The blanket was soaked with his blood and, to make matters worse, the vines he had strapped to himself had begun rubbing themselves bare. Soon the vines would snap and blood would flow freely once again. That bite that wooden wolf had inflicted on him must have been disease ridden or something. At least…it would explain why his wounds weren't healing as quickly as they could. There could have been a load of deadly bacteria in the thing's mouth that Brandon was unaware of. But if a mere scratch could be healed in a mere hour or less then it only made sense that his body could heal this bite as well.

_In time probably...something I may not have. _Brandon thought grimly before reaching into his pack once again; pulling out the torn wool blanket. The teen had knowledge enough of wounds to know that he would need medicine and some kind of disinfectant or antibiotic soon. And, if he didn't, he may lose his leg…or worse. A doctor could provide help though _how _he was going to get any sort of medical attention in the state he was now baffled his pain addled brain.

He tore three thin strips from the blanket then laid them aside on an exposed root. Tearing off another larger strip, having placed the blanket over his pack, he held it over the blood soaked bandage for a few moments. Brandon, steeling his mind to what was to come next, tightly wrapped the large strip over the dirtied bandage.

The bite had gotten worse...and so had the pain.

Applying pressure on his wounds felt like a hot piece of metal had been touched to his bare skin than his hand. Red colored his vision with the pain it inflicted on him as he quickly tied the new bandage to it; using the thin strips of the blanket for makeshift ropes. A painful grunt escaped his clamped beastly teeth when he felt the pain begin to intensify with the sound of his heartbeat in his ears. Many minutes passed before the terrible sensation stopped but it would not go away.

Brandon leaned his cloaked head against the rough bark of the tree; breathing heavily of the darkening forest air. Blood, after the teen had finally dared to look, still seeped from the bandaging but had slowly considerably thanks to the new absorbent material placed on it. His blood had gotten on his hands and he stared at them now; remembering the blood that had been on Abbey's face. Whose blood had it been? Hers?

An answer was not forthcoming.

Wiping his hands on the grass, having no wish to get up so soon after his doctoring, Brandon rested his sweating feverish body against the tree for a while longer. Fatigue wore heavily on his weakened body. An incredible urge to sleep made his eye lids droop to a close…

_No! Stay awake! _His thoughts shouted at him; making him open his yellow cat-like eyes to the fullest. Sleeping was something he had to do last. First he needed somewhere to stay for the night and _not _in a tree. The image of the cave he had found the zebra at came to mind…but where was it again? He had taken so many turns and backtracked just to get to that house. Plans of which direction he should take, and what he should do about his injuries, kept slipping through his mind like water through his fingers.

No solid plan could be formed.

Brandon inhaled sharply through his nostrils and stood up; using the bark of the tree to guide him into a standing position. Air rushed into his clenched teeth once pressure had been put back on his injury. His vision swam with colors from the oncoming pain and fatigue he was experiencing. Even the cold sweat had begun again with a usually easy action such as standing. Soon Brandon would run out of daylight and then he would be vulnerable to the forest's predators. If his condition got any wor—

Something was coming….from the way he had come?

Blue wolf-like ears twitched from side to side as Brandon listened; trying to pick up the small echo's bouncing off the trees. The sounds, finally, had come close enough for the teen to make out. Whoever, or whatever, was making a sound like thunder but it was too close to the ground for the actual phenomenon. His yellow eyes widened once the noise drew nearer still; horses.

Someone was coming for _him. _

An irritated growl left his lips before he began limping away from the noise as fast as he could. Warm blood had begun to roll down his leg again, accompanied by the deep throbbing, but he couldn't stop. Lengthening his strides did not deter the sound and drew closer still. Somehow they had tracked him to the forest and, knowing that whoever was chasing him could have answers, now were making it their duty to run him down.

"Those are some…persistent…bastards." Brandon growled out when he could catch a breath; stumbling into a small clearing. His eyes quickly scanned the area trying to find an exit but there was none. There wasn't enough space to fit through the trees and lose his pursuers in the depths of the forest. Somehow he knew he couldn't run anymore even if he wanted to.

His lack of sleep, food, and large loss of blood had begun to take a heavy toll on his body. Even raising his thick beastly blue arm was an effort in on itself; feeling like he was trying to pick up a lead bowling ball with additional exercising weights on his arm. Nowhere to run, no energy to run with, and not to mention a possible future of a wall ornament or lifelong scientific guinea pig…backed into a corner.

No. It can't end like this.

Brandon dragged his heavy feet over to the opposite side of the clearing; leaning his back on a especially sturdy tree. The pack slid off of his shoulder and off to the side and wedged between two trees. Some sunlight had shone through the branches and granted enough light for the teen to see by. Trees, like he had noticed before, were packed too tightly together for him to squeeze between…but perhaps it was the same for whoever was coming for him.

The opening Brandon had entered was the only way out.

_Fine…if that's how you want it… _He thought to himself grimly, hearing his chasers drawing even closer than before, pulling the claws from the bark to stand on his own strength. Sweat dripped from his hairy blue body, a headache that made his vision blurry, and lastly the infected wound on his leg made it easily one of the _worst _days he could recall. The teen hid himself in the depths of his cloak and faced the opening; feeling the black claws on his hands lengthened to dangerously sharp curves.

"Come and get it." Whispered the beastly teen to the oncoming noise; taking the time to slow his heavy gasps to a low pant. The night vision from before did not come no matter how hard his strange yellow eyes peered at the darkening entrance. His lips pulled away from his teeth in a silent snarl as it came closer and closer—

Then it stopped. No voices…no people…just _nothing. _

Minutes had passed by and Brandon, thinking that his fatigue had finally gotten to him, stopped breathing when he heard the sound; footsteps. His heartbeat pounded in his ears as he heard the footsteps get closer. There were shadows but he could not see a definite outline.

The wild race had finally ended and now...the strangers were moving in on the beastly creature that wore a dark gray cloak.

"Hmm…" A Unicorn Pony thought out loud to herself as she paced in front of a pony-shaped mannequin. Similar objects were placed around the large room; articles of colorful cloth fitted to the shapes for customers to pick up at their early convenience. Clothing ranging from stallion vests to a mare's dress could be found in her shop. _Carousel Boutique_ is both the Unicorn's home and professional pride.

Her name is Rarity. A pale gray coat, almost the color of snow, complimented her mane and tail. Both tail and mane were the color of mulberry; the left side of her mane flowing out to curl itself inwardly while hiding her ear. The other side of her mane similarly curled in on itself but, instead, exposed her horn and light azure colored eyes. Finally her tail curled into a downward spiral along with three clear light blue diamond shaped faceted gems imprinted on her flank.

Red half-moon glasses rested on the bridge of her muzzle as she examined the threads of her current project.

The pony that ordered it had requested that Rarity make a dress that was 'simple but well done'. Rarity, being the top designer and seamstress in Ponyville, was the pony you wanted to see for any sort of 'fashion crisis' and happily taken this project. The Unicorn, brainstorming of the design of the dress, had found herself in a precarious position.

She had a mental block.

These, more accurately called a 'fashion block', happened in very _rare _instances and tended to become a growing problem for the mare. It posed both a problem for her career and her fashion senses. If ponies lost interest in Rarity's products—

"It'll be a _disaster_." Rarity spoke her thoughts out loud in her dramatic way; a lightly colored cornflower blue aura surrounding her horn and adjusted the half-moon glasses. The outfit must be finished in two days and it took, at the most, at least six hours drawing up the design and another number of hours coming up with the color to match the customer's style.

Rarity glanced at her mounted clock and sighed in despair; again pacing in front of the mannequin. The customer, being a Ponyville resident, had mentioned she was attending a bridal party over in Baltimare. Apparently one of the sisters, named Freda, was marrying a stallion from Manehattan and the customer wanted take a simple but beautiful dress with her.

What was her customer's name?

"Oh…pin feathers and fabrics!" She fumed before going to lay down on one of her waiting couches; placed there for the convenience of waiting customers. There were some ponies that Rarity had met that she could remember their name with a tip of a fashionable feather hat. Rarity knew it started with a '_C'. _Carlene? Crumbell? Carol? Cheryl? Crawfo—?

A loud knocking on her shop door, followed by hushed voices, interrupted the mare's thinking process.

"_Oh well. I'll remember later." _Rarity mentally reassured herself; her horn glowing once again to open the handle of the door. In a fluid movement she sprung from the couch as the doors opened, smiling invitingly, to her potential customers. "Hello and welcome to _Carousel Boutique. _How may I help—" She had begun in her greeting but stopped mid-sentence to stare.

Two ponies were standing at her door. But not just _any _ponies.

"—you?" The unicorn finished; surprised to see a familiar pink Earth Pony with a cyan Pegasus standing outside of her shop door. For a few split seconds Rarity just stared and, right as the pink pony opened her mouth, finally did something she would _never _usually do.

Rarity wrapped her hooves around the necks of the two ponies; startling them.

"Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, my _darlings!_ You're just in time. Out of all the ponies in Ponyville—" The Unicorn burst out; unintentionally crushing her friends in her overly friendly embrace. Items, while she had talked and let go of her gasping friends for the kitchen, surrounded with the same cornflower blue aura from before moved themselves around the room into their appropriate places. "—I really appreciate your company. It's been simply dreadful! I mean-really-just absolutely _depressing _in here." Rarity continued to talk as she came out of the kitchen with a tray of muffins, triangular shaped dandelion sandwiches, tea, and apple juice.

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash just smiled kindly all the while; knowing when Rarity had something she had to say…it was best to let her vent it out.

Rarity had gone into minute detail about her recent projects and the small gossip she had heard from her customers for five minutes before she stopped herself. "But where are my manners? I'm terribly sorry Rainbow, Pinkie." Smiling apologetically to both of her pony friends while she levitated the tray, along with a few sitting pillows, to a table. The fashion designer's half-moon glasses floated off and back to her work desk before she turned her lightly colored azure eyes back to her friends. "Rainbow Dash? Do you think you could regale me with your exploits from the other day?" Rarity asked with interest; paying special attention to the cyan colored Pegasus.

Rainbow smiled smugly and pretended to examine her hoof for imperfections. "Eh. It was hardly a challenge. A few thunderstorms here, maybe one over in Manehattan, but the Pegasus finished in record time. We would've finished earlier but Celestia felt there needed to be an investigation of Cloudsdale's factories." The Pegasus placed her hoof against her temple in remembrance of her experiences. "I felt like I aged six years waiting around there...but Celestia had a point. Somepony had messed with the weather. Do ya know what the strange thing was?" Rainbow asked the two ponies; shaking their heads to the Pegasus's question.

The Pegasus frowned at the thought of what she and the rest of the Weather Patrol Pegasai had found out. "Nopony was seen around Cloudsdale's factory or any other weather factory in Equestria. Security was tight _everywhere._ There had been no way in, or out, without the somepony knowing about it. I mean, like, nothing was touched and there wasn't even a feather lying around. Not. A. Feather." Rainbow complained; her wings twitching in irritation at the time she could have been spent napping.

Both Rarity and Pinkie Pie shared troubled looks upon hearing the lack of evidence.

Rarity rubbed the shin of her hoof beneath her chin in thought before looking back at the irritated look on Rainbow's face with a kind smile. "Rainbow Dash, I'm quite certain that it's nothing, well maybe not _nothing, _and we should just be glad that nopony got hurt in the mess. From my view—" She paused to take a sip of her levitated tea before continuing. "—it was probably some irresponsible Pegasus wanting to make trouble." The Unicorn finished with a disappointed expression to the thought of such troublemaking Pegasai.

Pinkie Pie, having stayed quiet for a good while, chewed thoughtfully on her dandelion sandwich slice. Thinking was something that Pinkie Pie rarely did, unless it was to make a great party for a friend or something similar, and this utterly surprised her friends.

Rainbow Dash, after seeing the thoughtful expression, nudged Pinkie Pie's ribs. "Hey. You there Pink?" The Pegasus, when the Earth Pony didn't respond right away, passed her hoof before the far off look in the mare's light cerulean eyes. Rarity shrugged when Rainbow gave her a questioning expression; bothered that neither action seemed to work. Rainbow, after rolling her bright cerise eyes, leaned in close to Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie. There's a party." She whispered into Pinkie Pie's ear.

An instant reaction.

The word 'party' had barely gotten out of Rainbow's mouth when the raspberry maned pony gasped and shot up; turning her head every which way at almost impossible angles. "A party?! Where? Where? Awwww I don't have my party cannon. Which pony's party is it? Huh-huh-huh?" Pinkie sped through her questions after zipping, seemingly out of nowhere, behind Rarity.

Rarity and Rainbow giggled for a few moments before they explained what they were trying to do to the energetic pony.

"Ooooh…I was thinking sillies." Pinkie snorted in a small burst of laughter before sipping some orange juice. A confused look came over the mare's face; tapping her hoof against the floor in thought. Rarity and Rainbow Dash, having thought Pinkie Pie had decided to space out again, opened their mouths to ask but shut them again when their friend suddenly gasped. "I remember! I remember now! I was thinking, since weird things have been happening, that Joe's Donut Shop just added new crème filled donut to his menu! It's so _weird _but they're _so_ dough-nut-licious!" Pinkie's mouth had begun to clearly water when thinking of the pastry.

Rainbow, leaving Pinkie Pie to her devices, rolled her eyes again. "Anyway…Rarity, have you heard from Fluttershy recently? Me and Pinks were wonderin' about where she could be. We agreed to come here if we didn't find her ourselves." Rainbow explained then began listing off places. "We went to Sugarcube Corner but nopony seen her there, went to the market and she wasn't there either, Twilight and Applejack are busy with that project so they haven't seen her at all, and finally—" Rainbow ticked the points away on the hoof when Pinkie Pie chimed in.

"We came to see _you. _And—" The pink mare giggled; having wiped the spit collecting on her mouth on a napkin. "—here we are." She then took a bite out of a nearby muffin; apparently done talking…for the moment.

The light gray Unicorn rubbed her chin in thought. "Well…_I _haven't seen Fluttershy. Nor do I know of any establishment she might have spent her time at…" Rarity muttered with uncertainty creeping into her voice. The last few instances Rarity saw that shy Pegasus had been during one of their weekly spa, Rarity's treat of course, sessions. Rarity would talk over it with Fluttershy first before making such appointments; in case there was an animal that needed her tender hoof care. Where else would Fluttershy go?

When the thought came to Rarity she swore she could have just died in embarrassment.

"Wait a moment. Know that I think about it…I'd wager my bet on Zecora's hut." Rarity smiled in her confidence in the guess. Only when she noticed the doubting expression on Rainbow Dashe's, and Pinkie Pie's dumbstruck one, did the fashion designer venture to ask. "What? It would make sense wouldn't it?" Rarity rolled her own eyes when the Pegaus raised her left eyebrow in questioning. "I mean _really _there is only so much Fluttershy knows about herbs. Wouldn't it make sense that she'd go to Zecora's? Hmmm?" She let the question hang for her two friends to grasp.

The Pegasus let the eyebrow drop and sighed to herself; getting up from her cushion. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Rainbow smiled thankfully. "Thanks Rarity. You've been a great help." Rainbow held the door open to Pinkie, the Earth Pony having gotten up after her friend walked to the door, quietly adding in a whisper so Rarity could hear it. "That was my next guess by the way." Both shared a smile at that comment before Rarity wished her two friends luck and promises to see each other tomorrow.

Rarity, returning to wave a hoof back at Pinkie Pie, smiled tiredly to the bright orange and yellow streaks of the setting sun. A yawn escaped her lips before a cornflower blue aura surrounded the door; effectively closing the shop for the day. Her gaze settled back on the lonely pony mannequin she had set in the corner. "I forgot to ask Pinkie Pie if she knew a mare that started with a 'C'." Rarity muttered to herself; having forgotten to ask if her raspberry maned friend knew of anypony of that description.

Then it hit her. An Earth Pony with bright orange hair and a yellow coat with a Cutie Mark of—

"Carrots! _Now _I remember. It was Carrot Top that came by that day. Rarity, darling, you silly mare you." She berated herself; making a disapproving titter noise to her forgetfulness. Her azure eyes migrated their way back to the mannequin with a small confident smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as the Unicorn began devising a plan in the making.

Blood. A trail of blood.

The path two ponies traveled was drawn in a line of splattered blood along the ground and roots. Fluttershy was frightened…but not filled with courage. Zecora became the beacon of strength and she followed her into the depths of the Everfree Forest to look for something that was nothing like a pony.

Her mind and body told her to flee the confines of the gripping darkness and seek the wider spaces outside. Then her heart had a word with the thoughts of panic screaming from her mind. It was a small voice but it had more impact than all her fears combined.

"_He saved my friend_. _That stranger saved her life…" _Fluttershy thought quietly to herself; interested to what the stranger looked like. Even Zecora's description had been very vague. Only a dark gray cloak against a black background was all the shy Pegasus could come up with. Strangely she felt…uneasy about the situation. The Stranger, Fluttershy having no other idea of what to call him, had shown up out of the blue and had disappeared after returning Zecora home.

Why had the Stranger left?

Fluttershy, having seen the blood on the ground, made her flinch in sympathy. Instead she kept her eyes on Zecora; noticing that the herbalist had gone into a gallop. The two galloped for many minutes on the uneven forest floor—

Then Zecora had slowed down until she had come to a halt.

The yellow Pegasus, unable to slow down as quickly, crashed into Zecora. In a mixed tangle of hooves and legs groaned respectively. Fluttershy rubbed her nose after having it bump rather hard against a root; Zecora feeling the beginnings of a bruise on her backside where her friend had hit against it. "Sorry." Fluttershy whispered apologetically before she untangled herself from the potion maker.

Zecora smiled in understanding and nodded before she gestured ahead of her with her muzzle. Fluttershy, having followed to where her friend had pointed, backed away a few steps. For just ahead of the frightened Pegasus Pony was a dark entrance. The zebra, taking a few steps closer to the forbidding black maw, peered closely at the trail they had been following.

It led into the strange closed gathering of trees. Sunlight tried to pierce the shadows to reveal what lay within…but it barely did anything.

Moments passed and a sound could be heard within the perpetual darkness. A soft and constant sound…_breathing? _ Fluttershy strained to listen but was certain that somepony, or something, was in there. She took one step closer before Zecora raised her hoof; silently gesturing her to stay back.

"From what I can hear, _he _is here." Zecora softly whispered to Fluttershy; backing away from the opening a bit. For a few moments the zebra was quiet and she sighed heavily. She drew the frightened Pegasus in an embrace. "Fluttershy my dear, there is nothing to fear. I believe this creature to be good of heart, but I will go first…just to start." The zebra smiled kindly to Fluttershy's alarmed expression. Without another word Zecora let her friend go; walking up to the dark entrance. Zecora looked back to Fluttershy and smiled softly before she quietly walked into the dark depths. The shadows swallowed the zebra's form until she was gone from Fluttershy's sight.

Fluttershy was alone…in the dark forest…with the sun beginning to set.

"Be safe Zecora_." _Fluttershy prayed softly; hoping her friend would come back safe. The Pegasus sat down on her haunches to wait for the herbalist's return. Insects began to chirp in the forest, easing her fears, as time passed. There was no way for her to accurately tell the time but she knew it would be dark within a few hours or so. That's when she heard it.

A branch snapped…and something _big _was moving through the trees and vegetation.

Fearful whimpering crawled out of the Pegasus's mouth as she curled into a shivering ball. The noise was a ways off but it did not ease Fluttershy's mind when she heard it grunt. Her fear escalated as more and more branches cracked beneath its footsteps before it started making its way for the pink maned Pegasus.


End file.
